government and the fast-moving changes on the ground, the White House said. civilians in Afghanistan, evacuate Afghans who worked with the U.S. They discussed efforts to reduce the number of U.S. But they might have to stay longer if the embassy is threatened by a Taliban takeover of Kabul by then.Īs the situation in Afghanistan rapidly worsened, Biden, who is spending the weekend at Camp David, and Vice President Kamala Harris held a secure video conference on Saturday morning with national security officials. Officials have stressed that the newly arriving troops’ mission is limited to assisting the airlift of embassy personnel and Afghan allies, and they expect to complete it by month’s end. The Pentagon said on Friday that the bulk of the 3,000 - comprising two battalions of Marines and one of Army soldiers - were due by the end of the weekend. Citing operational security, Urban declined to provide specific numbers. The additional 1,000 troops approved Saturday appeared to bring the total to 5,000.Īfter an advance group of Marines arrived on Friday, more flowed into the Kabul international airport on Saturday, said Navy Capt. Embassy personnel and Afghan allies as Taliban insurgents approached the outskirts of the capital.
An additional contingent of Marines arrived in Kabul as part of a 3,000-troop force intended to secure an airlift of U.S. Initially 1,000 troops were in place to aid with the withdrawal, and administration officials quickly judged that total to be insufficient. But a defense official said in a media statement that the president had approved Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s recommendation that the lead battalion of the 82nd Airborne Brigade Combat Team assist in the State Department’s drawdown. In a statement Saturday, Biden didn’t explain the breakdown of the 5,000 troops he said had been deployed. 31 deadline for fully withdrawing combat forces. The need for more forces also called into question whether Biden would meet his Aug. troops into Afghanistan reflected the dire state of security as the Taliban seized control of multiple Afghan cities in a few short days. The last-minute decision to re-insert thousands of U.S. troops will also help in the evacuation of Afghans who worked with the military during the nearly two-decade war. troops to ensure what Biden called an “orderly and safe drawdown” of American and allied personnel. troops for deployment to Afghanistan, raising to roughly 5,000 the number of U.S. WASHINGTON (AP) - President Joe Biden authorized on Saturday an additional 1,000 U.S.