The Taliban also captured Kandahar.

The Taliban say they have taken control of Kandahar, Afghanistan's second largest city. The United States is sending 3,000 troops to the country to protect its citizens. Britain and Canada are also sending troops to protect their personnel and evacuate them.

After capturing Herat, the third largest city in Afghanistan, Kandahar, the second largest city and one of the key regions of the country, has now fallen to the Taliban. Afghan government forces have lost control of most of the northern and western regions of the country.

A local resident of Kandahar told AFP that the Afghan army had retreated and that a large number of soldiers had gone to a military base outside the city. Two members of parliament and the provincial council told the German news agency that the most important government institutions in Kandahar in the south of the country were in the hands of Taliban Islamists.

The United States has previously announced that it will reduce its embassy staff to a minimum in the coming weeks as the Taliban advance continues. The State Department and Defense Department have said that an additional 3,000 troops will be deployed to Kabul airport to help facilitate the orderly departure of U.S. personnel.

Ned Price, a spokesman for the US State Department, said that this was “not a complete withdrawal” but did not provide any information on the number of people who would be returned. Price criticized that “the Taliban had clearly stated that they did not intend to attack diplomatic institutions. But you cannot rely on the words of a group like the Taliban.” That is why “precautionary measures” are now being taken.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the UK is also sending 600 troops to Kabul to protect its embassy staff. According to information provided by the BBC, there are still 4,000 British citizens in Afghanistan.

Canada is also sending special forces to Afghanistan, evacuating its citizens from the country, and closing its embassy in Kabul.

The Taliban are closing in on the Afghan capital, Kabul, and government forces have lost control of much of northern and western Afghanistan. The government controls only a few areas outside of Kabul. This spring, US President Joe Biden announced that the last troops should leave Afghanistan by the end of August.

Source: DW