KABUL/WASHINGTON – As the Taliban claimed to have taken Afghanistan’ssecond-biggest city, reports indicated that Kabul could also be isolated bythe insurgents within the next 72 hours.
A US media outlet quoting a diplomatic source said that intelligenceassessment indicated that capital of war raged country could be isolated bythe Taliban within the week, possibly within the next 72 hours, but addedthat does not mean the militant group would enter the capital.
The report further added that personnel at the US Embassy in Afghanistanhave been instructed to destroy sensitive materials which could be misusedin propaganda efforts.
US State Department spokesperson said “Drawdowns at our diplomatic postsaround the world follow a standard operating procedure designed to minimizeour footprint across various categories, including staffing, equipment, andsupplies. Kabul Embassy is conducting their drawdown in accordance withthis standard operating procedure.”
The development comes as the US decided to scale down its embassy in warraged country and send about 3,000 troops to aid the evacuation of staffamid Taliban major blows to Afghan forces. A number of other countriesincluding Canada, the UK, Denmark, and Norway, have pulled most of theirdiplomatic staffers out of their embassies in Kabul.
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On Friday, the insurgents have captured the country’s second andthird-biggest cities, as resistance from Afghan forces crumbled and fearsgrew that an assault on the capital Kabul could be just days away.
As for now, the militants have taken control of 14 of 34 provincialcapitals since marching to oust the current setup.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has drawn huge criticism toward itswithdrawal policy as it executed without making any political settlement.
