Live updates Chaotic scenes at Kabul airport amid scramble to flee Taliban control

As thousands of panicked Afghans and foreign nationals clamored to board flights out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan on Sunday, U.S. officials said they were taking steps to secure Kabul’s airport to enable civilian and military flights to depart safely.

The U.S. military presence will swell to nearly 6,000 troops within 48 hours, the State Department and Pentagon said in a joint statement Sunday, adding that their only mission was to help American and allied personnel depart the country. State Department spokesman Ned Price later said that U.S. forces had secured control of the airport’s perimeter.

Here are the significant developments

By Sunday evening, the Taliban had taken control of the presidential palace in Kabul, underscoring their lightning quick seizure of cities in the past week.

As of late Sunday, all U.S. Embassy personnel had been moved to the airport, the State Department said. The British ambassador was reportedly on-site helping to process the visas of Afghans who had worked for the United Kingdom.

U.S. officials said they will accelerate the evacuation of thousands of Afghans eligible for Special Immigrant Visas. About 2,000 have arrived in the United States over the past two weeks, a fraction of the estimated 88,000 that could need to be evacuated.

More than 60 nations released a joint statement calling on all parties in Afghanistan “to respect and facilitate, the safe and orderly departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country.”

Afghanistan’s collapse leaves allies questioning U.S. resolve on other fronts Link copied

LONDON â€" The Taliban's stunningly swift advances across Afghanistan have sparked global alarm, reviving doubts about the credibility of U.S. foreign policy promises and drawing harsh criticisms even from some of the United States' closest allies.

As Taliban fighters entered Kabul and the United States scrambled to evacuate its citizens, concerns grew that the unfolding chaos could create a haven for terrorists, unleash a major humanitarian disaster and trigger a new refugee exodus.

U.S. allies complain that they were not fully consulted on a policy decision that potentially puts their own national security interests at risk â€" in contravention of President Biden's promises to recommit to global engagement.

And many around the world are wondering whether they could rely on the United States to fulfill long-standing security commitments stretching from Europe to East Asia.

U.S. takes steps to secure airport, traffic control amid exodusLink copied

U.S. officials said Sunday they were taking steps to secure Kabul’s airport to enable civilian and military flights to depart safely, as photos and videos showed chaotic scenes of thousands of foreign nationals and Afghans trying to board flights.

In a joint statement Sunday, the State Department and the Pentagon said that the United States will expand its security presence to nearly 6,000 troops within the next 48 hours. U.S. forces will also take over responsibility for air traffic control.

Over the coming days, the United States plans to evacuate thousands of American citizens from Afghanistan, as well as local staff employed by the U.S. mission in Kabul, their families and other particularly vulnerable Afghan nationals, officials said.

The U.S. government will also accelerate the evacuation of thousands of Afghans eligible for Special Immigrant Visas, nearly 2,000 of whom have already arrived in the United States over the past two weeks.

As the Taliban encircled and then entered Kabul on Sunday, U.S. personnel at the embassy in Afghanistan relocated to the airport along with acting ambassador Ross Wilson, who left the sprawling diplomatic compound with the American flag. As of late Sunday, “all embassy personnel” had been moved to the airport, said State Department spokesman Ned Price.

More than 60 nations released a joint statement Sunday calling on all parties in Afghanistan “to respect and facilitate, the safe and orderly departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country.”

The British ambassador reportedly stayed behind at Kabul airport to help process visas for Afghan staff that had worked for London.

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