Secretary of State Antony Blinken did not say on Sunday whether the embassy would be closed, but said the United States was evacuating staff from the Kabul embassy.
“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.
The designated terrorist group, the Taliban, surrounded Kabul over the weekend. The Afghan government and the Taliban confirmed on Sunday that talks were underway to peacefully transfer power.
In about a week, Afghan troops surrendered in many places, occupying most of the country and occupying many state capitals.
Blinken did not give a direct answer when asked in the ABC News segment whether the US embassy was completely closed.
The United States has long sought to remove its presence from South Asian countries after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, but the Taliban’s rapid progress in Kabul is Vietnam’s rapid progress. The Communists are likened to the fall of Saigon. In 1975, they hijacked the country and provided many permanent images of embassy staff fleeing the country by helicopter.
“Let’s take a step back. This is clearly not Saigon,” Blinken said in the ABC News segment, disagreeing with the comparison. He added that the invasion of Afghanistan succeeded in eliminating Osama bin Laden and reducing the capabilities of al-Qaeda terrorist groups.
The fact that the United States killed bin Laden, who has been accused of being the chief orchestra of the September 11 attack, “should sound very strong,” Blinken later said.
Late Sunday night local time, the Taliban issued an online statement saying that terrorist fighters had been ordered to enter Kabul.
“Taliban fighters are to wait at all entrances to Kabul until a peaceful and satisfying transfer of power is agreed,” a Taliban spokesman said on Sunday.
American diplomats were seen evacuated from their embassies by helicopters after rapid advance by terrorists.
On Saturday, President Joe Biden approved the deployment of 5,000 US troops to evacuate civilians and ensure a “orderly and safe” drawdown of military personnel.
The State Department confirmed on Friday that it had instructed the Epoch Times to destroy confidential documents and other materials prior to the Taliban’s advance.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Jack phillips
Senior reporter
Jack Phillips is a New York-based reporter for The Epoch Times.