State Department urges US citizens in Afghanistan to leave 'immediately'

The State Department says all U.S. citizens should leave Afghanistan “immediately" as the Taliban advance.

A directive issued on Saturday by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul calls on citizens of the United States to leave “using available commercial fight options” because they are “extremely limited” in their “ability to assist” due to “the security conditions and reduced staffing.”

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The State Department ordered U.S. government employees working for the Kabul embassy who can work remotely to leave the country on April 27. The government’s advisory for Afghanistan remains at "Level 4: Do Not Travel" due to "crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed conflict and COVID-19."

Taliban forces continue to conduct violent attacks against Afghan officials and civilians alike as U.S. troops withdraw from the country.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki condemned the Taliban for the violence on Friday afternoon, which coincided with the militant group capturing their first provincial capital and a successful assassination of Dawa Khan Menapal, the head of the Government Media and Information Center. It wasn't before long that the Taliban captured their second provincial capital, Sheberghan in Jowzjan Province, according to Axios.

The US flag is paint on the wall at Embassy of the United States of America in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, July. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Mariam Zuhaib/AP

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Eight people were killed and 20 were wounded in the Taliban's failed assassination attempt of acting Defense Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi on Tuesday.

All U.S. troops are expected to have left Afghanistan by Aug. 31, an end date that was moved up from Sept. 11, though more than 95% of them have already departed.

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Tags: News, National Security, Foreign Policy, Taliban, Afghanistan, War in Afghanistan, State Department

Original Author: Mike Brest

Original Location: State Department urges US citizens in Afghanistan to leave 'immediately'