By Dan De Luce and Courtney Kube - NBC News
Joe Biden's government announced Thursday that it will evacuate most of its embassy staff in Afghanistan due to the rapid advance of the Taliban following the announcement of the withdrawal of US troops from the country.
"We are further reducing our civilian footprint in Kabul in light of the evolving security situation," explained State Department spokesman Ned Price, referring to the Taliban's military offensive and the escalation of violence in the last days.
[Biden announces that the US will leave Afghanistan on August 31 despite the risk of civil war and the resurgence of the Taliban]
The Defense Department will temporarily deploy additional troops to Kabul airport to provide security, while workers from its diplomatic legation in the capital leave in the coming days, Price said, without offering a specific number of people to be evacuated.
Biden announces that he will withdraw troops from Afghanistan.
Uncertainty about the future of that country grows
April 14, 202101: 45
The US embassy will continue to function with "a core diplomatic presence," providing services and honoring commitments to the Afghan government.
"The embassy remains open," Price stressed.
This decision comes after the government asked US citizens in Afghanistan to leave the country immediately in the face of the rapid advance of the Taliban.
["Time to end America's longest war": Biden announces total troop withdrawal from Afghanistan]
Insurgents have captured a series of provincial capitals and border crossings in the past week in a major offensive that has taken US officials by surprise.
On Thursday they announced that they had captured the southern city of Kandahar, representing an important strategic and symbolic victory.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul Ahmad NazarAP
"All the momentum is going in one direction right now," said a defense official, referring to the priority of ensuring the well-being of diplomats.
Despite the dire situation on the ground, President Joe Biden has reiterated that he has no intention of reversing his plans to withdraw all troops on August 31, before the 20-year anniversary of the attacks. 9/11 terrorists in Washington, DC and New York.
The president has promised that chaotic scenes similar to the US exit from Vietnam in 1975, when the Vietnamese were evacuated by helicopter from the US embassy in Saigon, will not be experienced.
In an interview with CBS News in July, Biden noted that "there will be no scenario where you will see people being rescued from the roof of a US embassy in Afghanistan."
Meet Soraya Shahidy, Afghanistan's first female tattoo artist
Dec. 1, 202001: 37
For the United States and other countries, maintaining an embassy in Kabul depends on the city's main airport being safe.
The US diplomatic representation in the heavily guarded Afghan capital is located a few kilometers from the airport.
Turkey has announced its willingness to guarantee airport security, but details have yet to be finalized.