Another 1,000 soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne have been ordered to head directly to Afghanistan’s capital instead of Kuwait to assist in the evacuation of U.S. personnel and Afghans who assisted the U.S. mission, a U.S. official told ABC News.
That brings the total number of U.S. troops being sent back to Afghanistan to 6,000.
The Taliban on Sunday ordered its fighters to enter the capital city, according to a statement, because “now there are reports that districts in Kabul have been evacuated, police have left their job of providing security, ministries have been evacuated, and security personnel from the Kabul administration have fled.”
The Taliban went on to tell Kabul residents that they should not fear these troops and that none would enter anyone’s homes or harass anyone.
In a message posted to Facebook, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he left Kabul to save the capital city and its citizens from bloodshed.
Earlier Sunday, both former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, issued a statement confirming that Ghani had left the country and they announced plans to form a new reconciliation council.
The Taliban reported earlier Sunday that its leaders were at the presidential palace to negotiate a transfer of power.
