Thousands of troops deployed to Afghanistan to assist with evacuating the embassy in Kabul. This deployment was due to the Taliban’s rapid advance, which places Afghanistan’s capital at risk.
Despite the gradual months of withdrawing troops entirely out of Afghanistan. This decision delays all efforts of accomplishing the mission by the end of August.
John Kirby, Pentagon Press Secretary, explained that three infantry battalions already stationed in the Middle East will move to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul in the next 24 to 48 hours.
The three battalions, consisting of two Marines and one Army, will support the 650 US troops in Kabul.
“This is a temporary mission with a narrow focus,” said John Kirby.
John Kirby refuses to call the deployment a combat mission but ensured that the infantry battalions, totaling about 3,000 troops, are bringing weaponry, including mortars, machine guns, and troops’ personally carried weapons.
The 3,000 US troops will head to Afghanistan to provide security for embassy personnel and other Americans leaving the country and help Afghans under the Special Immigrant Visa, or SIV program.
On Thursday, August 12th, the Taliban issued a statement saying they had assumed control of Herat, the third-largest city in Afghanistan and a strategic provincial capital not far from Kabul. The Afghan government is deteriorating rapidly following President Joe Biden’s April announcement of plans to withdraw US forces.
“We’re not walking away from our commitments to the Afghan forces… We’re not completely eliminating our diplomatic presence on the ground… Nobody is abandoning Afghanistan,” said John Kirby.
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