US Racing To Rescue Kabul Embassy Staff As Taliban Moves Closer
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – As Taliban fighters were edging closer towards Afghanistan’s capital Thursday, the United States was preparing to evacuate the U.S. embassy in Kabul.
The U.S. military planned the withdrawal amid mounting fears that the Taliban will overrun Kabul in days and effectively take control over Afghanistan, several sources said.
The Pentagon was reportedly moving marines into position to cover the evacuation of embassy staff as intelligence warned that the Taliban might launch an assault within 30 days.
Facts on the groups suggested Thursday that such an offensive could even come earlier than the roughly one-month time frame given by U.S. officials.
Preparations to evacuate embassy personnel were underway as Taliban fighters reportedly seized Kandahar, the country’s second-largest city, after capturing the third-largest city, Herat.
The group also seized the strategic Afghan city of Ghazni on Thursday — just 150 kilometers (95 miles), Kabul, several sources confirmed.
STRONG ACROSS NATION
Taliban fighters have seized a dozen provincial capitals out of 34 across the Islamic nation, prompting the U.S. State Department to work on reducing embassy staff, officials said.
The U.S. State Department was considering relocating its outpost to the Kabul airport, several sources said.
A Western diplomatic source said temporarily moving the U.S. embassy to Hamid Karzai International Airport is “the most probable” course of action. A small staff will reportedly remain at the Kabul embassy while the rest are shifted away from the city center.
In addition, the U.S. military is reportedly trying to evacuate ‘thousands’ of American citizens and Afghan interpreters from the capital.
Military transport planes were due to arrive at the airport to accommodate those fleeing, news reports said. The embassy sent an emergency notice Thursday urging Americans to “leave Afghanistan immediately using available commercial flight options.”
The Taliban’s advancements come as U.S. forces have formally withdrawn from the war-torn territory at the direction of President Biden. Despite the setbacks, Biden defended the decision to leave Afghanistan after two decades in the war-torn country.
US TRAINING TROOPS
He said Afghan troops were well armed and trained by the U.S. and outnumbered the Taliban by three to one. However, “They’ve got to want to fight,” Biden said. “I think they’re beginning to realize they’ve got to come together politically at the top. But we’re going to continue to keep our commitment. But I do not regret my decision.”
Biden stressed the U.S. would continue to send air support and food supplies to help the Afghan army fight the battles against the Taliban enemy but would refrain from directly intervening.
The Taliban’s military gains were due to worry minority Christians who already suffer under strict Islamic regulations, Worthy News learned.
Aid workers have told Worthy News that the Taliban is re-imposing its “ultra-strict form of ‘sharia’ (Islamic law) as they go.”
There are up to 3,000 Christians from a Muslim background residing in the country, according to U.S. sources and researchers. Other reports say as many as 18,000 Afghan Christians are practicing their faith secretly.
Amid the clashes, thousands of civilians, including women and children, were desperately seeking shelter.
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