The State Department announced that it is drawing down its civilian presence in Afghanistan as a resurgent Taliban continues to capture territory across the country. To facilitate the drawdown, the Pentagon is expected to send around 3,000 troops to help with the evacuation effort.
"In light of the evolving security situation, we expect to draw down to a core diplomatic presence in Afghanistan," State Department spokesman Ned Price said. "In the coming weeks, in order to facilitate this reduction, the Department of Defense will temporarily deploy additional personnel to Hamid Karzai International Airport."
Price did not say how many of the roughly 4,000 embassy personnel would be relocated. Of those workers, about 1,400 are U.S. citizens. He said that despite the drawdown, the Embassy remains open and vowed the U.S. would continue to help relocate Afghan citizens who assisted the U.S. during the war.
The announcement was made as the U.S. Embassy issued a security alert, the second in five days, urging U.S. citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately as the security situation deteriorates.
The Taliban has been quickly moving through the country, capturing at least nine provincial capitals in just a few days as it moves towards Kabul. According to a recent military intelligence assessment, Kabul could fall within the next three months.
"What we're seeing on the ground is that the Taliban continues to advance and to assume control of district and provincial centers that clearly indicates that they believe it is possible to gain governance through force, through brutality, through violence, through oppression, which is at great odds with their previously stated goal of actually wanting to participate in a negotiated political solution," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.