The Pentagon authorized an additional deployment of 1,000 troops on Sunday to aid the evacuation mission in Kabul as the Taliban retakes control of Afghanistan, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The overall number of temporary U.S. troops in Kabul is now expected to be at 6,000. A combat brigade numbering around 3,500 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg has been on standby in Kuwait in case additional reinforcements are needed, and an official speaking on the condition of anonymity said the troops would come from this rendezvous, Reuters reported.
The Pentagon’s decision follows President Joe Biden‘s order of 1,000 additional troops on Saturday, despite both Biden and Former President Donald Trump previously working toward withdrawing U.S. military presence in the nation.
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Biden said that he was forced to make a decision between honoring the deal with the Taliban established under the Trump administration and bolstering the U.S. presence in Afghanistan.
“Therefore, when I became President, I faced a choice — follow through on the deal, with a brief extension to get our forces and our allies’ forces out safely, or ramp up our presence and send more American troops to fight once again in another country’s civil conflict,” he said.
Despite the temporary surge of U.S. troops into the country, Biden said that he is dedicated to ending the war, adding, “I was the fourth President to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan — two Republicans, two Democrats. I would not, and will not, pass this war on to a fifth.”
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The authorization came the same day Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani fled the capital of Kabul and amid the Taliban’s encroaching governmental takeover of the country. On Sunday, Taliban fighters entered the presidential palace in the capital, and vehicles owned by the military group have proceeded into the city.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul lowered its American flag, and personnel were routed to the airport.
Reports that the airport was taking fire led embassy officials to instruct U.S. citizens to shelter in place. A small number of diplomats will remain in the Kabul airport for now, according to a source familiar with the matter.
A Western official at the scene confirmed “gunfire at the airport” to the Washington Examiner.
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The Pentagon did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
