U.S. boosts troops in Afghanistan to secure Kabul airport

 

“Over the next 48 hours, we will have expanded our security presence to nearly 6,000 troops, with a mission focused solely on facilitating these efforts and will be taking over air traffic control.”

 The United States is boosting its troop numbers in Afghanistan to 6,000 after the Taliban reached Kabul.

 The State Department and Department of Defense said they were aiming to secure Kabul’s airport for the safe departure of U.S. and allied personnel.

 “Over the next 48 hours, we will have expanded our security presence to nearly 6,000 troops, with a mission focused solely on facilitating these efforts and will be taking over air traffic control,” the departments said.

 The departments also said they wanted to speed up the evacuation of thousands of Afghan aid workers entitled to U.S. special immigrant visas.

 The move sees an additional 1,000 U.S. troops going to Afghanistan, just a day after U.S. President Joe Biden had ordered a prior reinforcement of 1,000 soldiers.

 The deployment of 3,000 was announced last week, and 1,000 were already on the ground.

 When Mr Biden announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops earlier this year, some 2,500 were left in the country.