Hopefully they’ll arrive in time - the fall of Kabul is looking more like. 90 hours than 90 days….
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...ns-2021-08-14/
KABUL, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani said he was in urgent talks with local leaders and international partners as Taliban rebels pushed closer to Kabul, capturing a key town south of the capital that is one of the gateways to the city.….
He spoke soon after the insurgents took Pul-e-Alam, the capital of Logar province that is 70 km (40 miles) south of Kabul, according to a local provincial council member. The Taliban did not face much resistance, the provincial council member told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The gain of the city, a key staging post for a potential assault on Kabul, comes a day after the insurgents took the country's second- and third-biggest cities.
American troops have begun flying in to Kabul to help in the evacuation of embassy personnel and other civilians, a U.S. official said.
The Pentagon has said two battalions of Marines and one infantry battalion will arrive in Kabul by Sunday evening, involving about 3,000 troops…. An infantry brigade combat team will also move out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Kuwait to act as a quick reaction force for security in Kabul if needed, the Pentagon has said.
Britain and several other Western nations are also sending troops as resistance from Afghan government forces crumbles and fears grow that an assault on Kabul could be just days away……
Some embassies have begun to burn sensitive material ahead of evacuating, diplomats said.
The U.S. embassy in the Afghan capital informed staff that burn bins and an incinerator were available to destroy material including papers and electronic devices to "reduce the amount of sensitive material on the property," according to an advisory seen by Reuters…..