WASHINGTON — The United States will move its embassy compound in Afghanistan to the airport in Kabul, a somber development that follows stunning Taliban advances across the war-weary country.
“Right now the plan that we are putting into effect is to move personnel from the embassy compound in Kabul to a location at the airport to ensure that they can operate safely and securely,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on ABC’s Sunday program “This Week” when asked about the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.
The nation’s top diplomat, who declined to elaborate when asked if the embassy would be effectively abandoned, added that a “core diplomatic presence” will now be headquartered at the Hamid Karzai International Airport.
The latest revelation follows President Joe Biden’s order to deploy approximately 5,000 U.S. troops to Kabul to evacuate embassy staff. Meanwhile, the State Department instructed U.S. Embassy personnel on the ground to destroy sensitive information material ahead of their departure.
Britain, Germany and Canada also rushed troops into Kabul to evacuate their embassies.
In recent days, the Taliban made stunning battlefield reversals with now nearly the entirety of the nation under their control.
Despite being vastly outnumbered by the Afghan military, which has long been assisted by U.S. and coalition forces, the Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday.
