crisis in afghanistan
U.S. sending 1,000 more troops to evacuate embassy staff from Kabul
With Taliban fighters now in Kabul, the Pentagon is sending an addition 1,000 troops to Afghanistan's capital in order to evacuate U.S. Embassy personnel.
Taliban militants, fresh off of wins in other major cities and provincial capitals, entered Kabul on Sunday, causing Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to flee. Taliban members have settled in the presidential palace, conducting interviews with international journalists from inside.
The U.S. flag has been lowered from the embassy building, The Washington Post reports, and personnel, including acting U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson have been moved to Kabul's airport. Before they left the embassy, workers rushed to burn sensitive documents. There are still 4,000 or so embassy staffers — U.S. citizens and Afghan nationals — waiting to fly out of the country, two defense officials told CNN.
Amid reports on Sunday afternoon that the airport was coming under fire, the U.S. Embassy instructed U.S. citizens in Afghanistan to shelter in place. A U.S. defense official with knowledge of the situation told the Post that as of Sunday evening, the Taliban has not launched any attacks against the airport, but the scene is still chaotic.