US Mobilizes 3,000 Troops To Kabul For Embassy Staff Drawdown

The State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday and told him the United States "remains invested in the security and stability of Afghanistan" in the face of Taliban violence.

Faced with unexpectedly rapid military gains by the Taliban, the United States decided on Thursday to dramatically scale down its embassy in Kabul and send about 3,000 troops temporarily to aid the evacuation of staff. News of the drawdown, which was first reported by Reuters, underscored Washington's rapidly deteriorating hopes that diplomacy will halt the Taliban's advance and keep the capital in the Afghan government's hands. The Taliban could isolate Kabul within 30 days and take it over in 90, U.S. intelligence assessments concluded this week. "We've been evaluating the security situation every day to determine how best to keep those serving at the embassy safe," said State Department spokesman Ned Price. "We expect to draw down to a core diplomatic presence in Afghanistan in the coming weeks," he said, adding the embassy was not closed. A person familiar with the matter said there were no guarantees the embassy would remain open.