U.S. military takes control of Kabul airport, aims to evacuate 5,000 civilians a day

Leaving Taliban-controlled Kabul
(Image credit: Shakib Rahmani/AFP/Getty Images)

The U.S. military took control of air traffic at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport and secured the airport's perimeter, the Pentagon and State Department said late Sunday, as thousands of Americans, foreign nationals, and Afghans jostled to leave the country, now effectively under Taliban control. President Biden has ordered about 6,000 U.S. troops to secure the airport and aid the evacuation, and the full contingent of U.S. forces is set to arrive within 48 hours, the joint statement said.

"Tomorrow and over the coming days, we will be transferring out of the country thousands of American citizens who have been resident in Afghanistan, as well as locally employed staff of the U.S. mission in Kabul and their families, and other particularly vulnerable Afghan nationals," the Pentagon and State Department said. All U.S. Embassy staff were moved to the airport Sunday, and U.S. officials say they are working to accelerate the evacuation of Afghans who helped the U.S. and are eligible for Special Immigrant Visas.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.