Turkey ‘still in lead’ as US surges troops back to Kabul airport for evacuation
The Pentagon is readying as many as 8,000 troops to facilitate the withdrawal of American and Afghan personnel.
The Pentagon is deploying an additional 3,000 troops into Afghanistan to assist the evacuation of American and Afghan personnel amid sweeping Taliban advances across the country.
Three infantry battalions — two from the Marine Corps and one from the Army — will deploy to Kabul airport “to provide safety and secure movement” for evacuating State Department personnel and Afghan special immigrant visa applicants, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thursday.
The deployment brings a more than fivefold increase over the roughly 650 US troops remaining in Kabul ahead of President Joe Biden’s Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.
Turkey’s government, which has offered to leave its own 500 troops to secure the airport after the deadline in order to protect international diplomatic missions, remains in charge of security at the site, Kirby said.
