US Getting Civilian Personnel Out of Kabul
Voice of America
Just weeks away from completing its military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the United States is sending thousands of combat troops back to Kabul in a last-ditch attempt to move diplomatic personnel and Afghan allies out of harm's way. BREAKING: "We are further reducing our civilian footprint in #Kabul in light of the evolving security situation" per @StateDeptSpox "We expect to draw down to a core diplomatic presence in #Afghanistan in the coming weeks" pic.twitter.com/wTjkyLEyyn NEW: US official confirms US military deploying #AC130 gunships, #MQ9 #Reaper drones as well as #B52 bombers & #F18s to strike #Taliban and boost #Afghanistan security forcesAC-130s & MQ-9s carrying out the majority of the strikes In a readout on @SecBlinken and @SecDef's call with @ashrafghani, both Blinken and Austin informed Ghani that the U.S. is reducing its civilian footprint in #Kabul in light of the evolving security situation and will accelerate the tempo of Special Immigration Visa (#SIV) flights pic.twitter.com/dpACQJn36P ICYMI: @USEmbassyKabul warns citizens "to leave #Afghanistan immediately""Given the security conditions & reduced staffing, the Embassy’s ability to assist US citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited even within #Kabul"https://t.co/yoNeiIu7pc
The move, announced Thursday by the State Department and the Pentagon, comes as U.S.-trained and -equipped Afghan security forces continue to crumble in the face of an offensive that has seen almost half of Afghanistan's 34 provincial capitals fall to Taliban insurgents in less than a week. Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can download this video to view it offline. The first set of reinforcements, 3,000 troops from three U.S. Marine and Army battalions, were expected to arrive in the Afghan capital of Kabul within 24 to 48 hours.French President Emmanuel Macron appears on television screen at the French far-right National Rally party election night headquarters, in Paris, June 9, 2024. Macron dissolved the National Assembly and called for a new legislative election. French far-right National Rally lead candidate Jordan Bardella delivers a speech at the party election night headquarters, in Paris, June 9, 2024.
FILE - U.S. troops are seen at Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte province, as U.S. and Philippine troops participate in a joint military exercise in the Philippines on May 6, 2024. U.S. and Filipino troops concluded a new combat exercise in the Philippines on June 10, 2024. FILE - A Philippine soldier fires a Javelin anti-tank weapon system during a live exercise as part of the annual U.S.-Philippines joint military exercises called "Balikatan" at Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija province, April 13, 2023.
French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visit the memorial center during the 80th anniversary of the massacre of 643 persons by Nazi German forces, in Oradour-sur-Glane, France, on June 10, 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron (2ndL), the Mayor of Oradour-sur-Glane (L), and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (2ndR) walk along a street in Oradour-sur-Glane, June 10, 2024. French President Macron (L) and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier stand together as they pay their respects during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre, June 10, 2024.
Swiss President Viola Amherd, center, speaks during a press conference ahead of the Ukraine peace conference being organized by Switzerland, in Bern on June 10, 2024. Ukrainian flags flutter over hundreds graves of Ukrainian servicemen killed in fighting since the Russian invasion, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on June 6, 2024.