US to reduce diplomatic presence in Afghanistan 1:15
(CNN) -
By sending an additional 3,000 military personnel to Afghanistan to help with the departure of diplomats and possible evacuations, the US will now have more military personnel in the country than it initially had when the withdrawal began, Nick reported Thursday. CNN's Patton Walsh.
"So we are in this extraordinary period of two to three weeks. Because they will leave at the end of August as part of the plan in which the Americans may be sending a large number of military personnel, obviously with air cover and facilitators to stay safe. So essentially establishing a military presence in Kabul, "Patton Walsh told CNN's Julia Chatterly.
ANALYSIS |
Fear and resentment reign in Afghanistan as the Taliban invade more cities
He continued: "It will certainly have an impact on some of the nearby buildings in areas, providing a degree of security for many of the important parts of Kabul. And frankly, it will be a major warning sign for the Taliban to move away from the capital".
"Not that at this stage they seem to be approaching it that quickly. But then you have a situation, two or three weeks later, when the United States will have withdrawn its civilian personnel, it will have removed most of the people that it wants to come out as part of their special immigrant visa program, for those who worked with Americans. And then they'll have to ... leave again. So it's an extraordinary decision to make and it will probably be an extraordinary vision, frankly, when it comes to the end. of the month".
Patton Walsh also elaborated on the impressive terrain that the Taliban were able to gain, now controlling 12 provincial capitals, including the country's third-largest city, Herat, and also the city of Ghazni.
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"The situation is frankly appalling. In a week we have seen at least a third of Kabul's main cities have fallen into the hands of the Taliban. No one thought that progress would be that fast," he said.
Pentagon says sending 3,000 military to Afghanistan is "prudent preparation"
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby today defended the Pentagon's decision to send 3,000 US servicemen to Afghanistan as "prudent preparation," suggesting that it is necessary to send as many to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.
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"This is prudent preparation," Kirby said, responding to a journalist's question about why the United States was sending such a "large" number of troops.
"We want to make sure we have enough on hand to adapt to any contingency."
"Your question about the number being too high, we think is appropriate for the security situation that we see now and that we can possibly anticipate in the future," he continued.
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"The secretary believes that the safety of our people, not just US troops, but our allies and partners and our colleagues in the State Department is a primary concern," Kirby added.
"It is not going to add additional risk to that safe move."
Two of the infantry battalions heading to Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport are from the US Marine Corps and one from the US Army, Kirby said.
The three battalions come from the Central Command area of responsibility, which is the part of the United States Army based in the Middle East.
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