According to CNN, the Pentagon leadership is considering sending some or all of the approximately 4,000 troops stationed in Kuwait. Discussions also cover meals.
The goal is to assist US diplomats and some Afghan affiliates of US forces in the evacuations.
There are currently, or soon, 5,000 US troops in Afghanistan. The 1,000 personnel is part of the long-standing unit that has been stationed there for a long time, and the Pentagon decided to send an additional 3,000 on Thursday, and President Joe Biden announced on Saturday.
As the White House said Sunday, while the Taliban were in control of the Afghan capital, President and Vice President Kamala Harris held a video conference this morning with key security advisers. The conference was to focus on the progress of the evacuation process.
The US Embassy in Kabul was closed and the Chargé d’Affairs, along with all staff at the facility and flag, was transferred to the airport. On Sunday, the facility issued a warning to US citizens that they should seek refuge in their homes in the face of reports of the airport being bombed.
As part of the operation, embassy staff and US citizens, as well as some Afghan allies and those associated with US forces, will be evacuated. During Sunday’s conference call with the chief of diplomacy, the Pentagon chief and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley with senators, administration representatives acknowledged, however, that there was no chance of evacuating all Afghans who were entitled to a special visa to the United States due to the rapid collapse of Afghan authorities. Originally, the procedure was scheduled to run until the end of the month.
As the Taliban advances and the rule of law collapses in Afghanistan, evacuating the most vulnerable must be a priority for the United States. In response to the reports, Bob Menendez, chair of the Democratic Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said rapid and immediate action is necessary to ensure the safety of our soldiers, diplomats, women and civil society activists.
