Pentagon: US Concerned about Taliban Advances as American Troops Withdraw  

WASHINGTON - The U.S. is “watching with deep concern” as Taliban insurgents take control of more and more territory in Afghanistan while American forces are quickly returning home under President Joe Biden’s withdrawal orders, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Sunday. 

“This is the time for [Afghan government troops] to step up and defend their country,” Kirby told the “Fox News Sunday” show. “This is a moment of responsibility.”  Over nearly two decades, the U.S. has supplied Afghanistan with billions of dollars in weaponry to defend itself, but with Biden pulling U.S. troops out of the country by August 31, control of the country is increasingly uncertain.  Taliban insurgents say they already control 85% of the country, a contested claim. But Kirby did not dispute a Fox News assessment that 13 million Afghans live under Taliban control, 10 million under Afghan government rule and 9 million in contested regions.