WASHINGTON, Aug 12 - The United States urges U.S. citizens to leave Kabul immediately using available commercial flight options, a notice on the Embassy in Afghanistan said after a speedy Taliban advance across the country.
On Thursday, Taliban fighters captured the strategically contested Afghan city of Ghazni. This entombed them within 150 kilometers of Kabul, the latest in their rapid takeover as the United States withdraws its troops from the country, leaving the Afghan government to struggle the Islamist group on its own.
The U.S. EmbassyU.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to use available commercial flight options for Afghanistan immediately, a note on the Embassy's website said, and warned Americans about the capability of the Mission in serving citizens at this time.
Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy's ability to assist U.S. citizens in Kabul even within Afghanistan is extremely limited, stated the notice.
The United States ordered government employees out of its embassy in Kabul on April 27 if their work could be done elsewhere, citing more violence in the city.
State Department spokesman Ned Price earlier this week said that the official posture of the Embassy has not changed when answering questions about whether an evacuation of the embassy is more likely.
However, he added that Washington was periodically evaluating the threat environment around its Embassy in Kabul on a daily basis.