US Sending 3K Troops to Afghanistan to Help Evacuation of Embassy

By Alyssa Wilson Published: August 13, 2021

US Sending 3K Troops to Afghanistan to Help Evacuation of Embassy

FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2021, file photo birds flyover the city of Kabul, Afghanistan. America’s longest war is approaching a crossroads. President Joe Biden’s choices in Afghanistan boil down to this: withdraw all troops by May and risk a resurgence of extremist dangers, or stay and possibly prolong the war in hopes of compelling the Taliban to make peace. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

By: Alyssa Wilson

The Biden administration is sending 3,000 troops to the Kabul airport in Afghanistan to help with a partial evacuation of the United States embassy.

According to the Associated Press, the return of U.S. troops to the region shows the speed at which the Taliban is taking over. On Thursday, the Taliban captured the second-largest city of Kandahar. Days prior, they also gained control of the western cities of Herat and Ghazni, which is south of Kabul. This isolates the nation’s capital, where millions of Afghans live.

The State Department announced the news Tuesday. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said the situation is a “narrowly-focused mission of safeguarding the orderly reduction of civilian personnel out of Afghanistan.” Ned Price, a spokesperson for the State Department, said, “This is not abandonment. This is not an evacuation. This is not a wholesale withdrawal. What this is is a reduction in the size of our civilian footprint.”

Price said the move to return troops does not encourage the Taliban, which is already emboldened as it takes over more territory. “The message we are sending to the people of Afghanistan is one of enduring partnership,” Price said.

President Biden has said he wants to end the 19-year war in the region by the end of August despite the Taliban’s movement. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin both spoke with Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani, the Associated Press reported. The U.S. also reportedly warned Taliban officials that the country would respond if Americans were attacked.

Army and Air Force troops will also be sent to Qatar to help speed up efforts to process Special Immigrant Visa applications for Afghans who used to work for the United States government or felt threatened by the Taliban, Price confirmed.

Afghanistan is now on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe as Afghans flee their homes from the Taliban, BBC reported. The United Nations is urging the country’s neighbors to keep their borders open as people become displaced and seek refuge.

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