– Officials say Taliban fighters have entered Kabul and are seeking the unconditional surrender of the central government.
The United States’ top diplomat is calling the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the imminent fall of Kabul “heart-wrenching stuff,” and says U.S. forces are working to get all Americans, as well as Afghans who worked with the U.S., out of the country.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said the safety of U.S. personnel, some of whom are still at the embassy, and Afghan helpers was “job number one,” fending off criticism that Washington was unprepared for the rapid collapse of Afghan forces.
A U.S. official said that thousands more U.S. troops are arriving in Afghanistan and “firmly control” both the area around the embassy and Hamid Karzai International Airport, outside of Kabul.
President Joe Biden on Saturday authorized an additional 1,000 troops to head to Kabul to help secure U.S. assets and get U.S. personnel and Afghans who worked for the U.S. to safety.
A total of about 4,000 U.S. troops are expected to land in Kabul in the coming days, bolstering a force that had been down to as few as 650 troops in recent days.
