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The US Embassy in Afghanistan advised Americans to “set up shelters” in reports that Kabul Airport, one of the main exits from Afghanistan, was firing from Taliban terrorists.
Breaking news sent on Sunday, US State Department Said “The security situation in Kabul is changing rapidly, including at the airport.”
“There are reports that the airport has fired, so we are instructing US citizens to evacuate to the right place,” the authorities wrote. “Don’t call the US Embassy in Kabul for flight details and updates,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that Afghan government forces had handed over the nearby Bagram Air Force Base to the Taliban, district chief Dawaish Rauffy. Approximately 5,000 prisoners detained at air force bases by both the Taliban and ISIS have been released, officials said.
The Taliban announced in a statement that it would instruct members to enter Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, after surrounding a city of 6 million people. Around the same time, Afghan top officials confirmed that President Ashraf Ghani had fled the country.
Long regarded by the State Department as a terrorist organization, the group swiftly across South Asian countries weeks after President Joe Biden announced the unconditional withdrawal of all U.S. forces after 20 years of occupation. We have made great strides.
A few hours before the embassy warning was sent, Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed to ABC News that staff were evacuating from the embassy building to Kabul Airport.
“We are working to ensure the safety and security of our staff,” Blinken said in an interview with ABC News on Sunday. “We will move embassy men and women to the airport location. That is why the president has sent so many forces that we are safe and orderly as we continue to reduce our diplomatic presence. Make sure you do it the way you do it, “he added.
However, the evacuation of embassy staff resulted in the fall of Saigon in 1975, when the Vietnamese Communist Army took control of the country and forced U.S. diplomats and others to flee with a helicopter above the embassy building. The secretary rejected the idea of being similar.
“Let’s take a step back. This is clearly not Saigon,” Blinken intervened.
He added that the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan succeeded in eliminating Osama bin Laden and reducing the capacity of the al-Qaeda terrorist groups contained by the Taliban.
On Saturday, President Joe Biden approved the deployment of 5,000 US troops to assist in the evacuation of civilians. This is an increase in the initially deployed 3,000 troops.
Jack phillips
Senior reporter
Jack Phillips is a New York-based reporter for The Epoch Times.
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