The fast-changing situation in Afghanistan compelled President Joe Biden to send across U.S. troops to the country. It is because of the rapid advances made by the Taliban. Civilians are worried about their safety. Many Afghans, among them, have been working with the American embassy in Kabul, the capital. It is necessary to evacuate them, and the Biden administration rushed across fresh troops to Afghanistan to undertake the operation. There would be more of them to come, and they would be on standby in order to expedite airlift.
Economic Times says this would probably be a temporary arrangement for U.S.
evacuations. The Taliban is moving at a fast pace and is gradually closing in on Kabul. They timed it to be a few weeks before the U.S. officially pulls out to end its two-decade war. President Joe Biden wants U.S. troops to leave Afghanistan by September 11.
Fight between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban
American, British, and other allied NATO forces have fought against the Taliban for more than two decades. An unaccounted number of Western troops lost their lives. The intention was to allow the government of Afghanistan and the military to take over the reins. However, of late, the Taliban appears to be gaining ground. Economic Times reports that the U.S. State Department indicated the embassy would continue to function.
The latest decision to deploy additional U.S. troops is a pointer to the lack of confidence in the ability of the local administration to check the advance of the Taliban. Kabul, home to millions of Afghans, is getting isolated. A spokesman of the State Department said: "What this is is a reduction in the size of our civilian footprint." In November 2019, former President Donald Trump made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan to share Thanksgiving with U.S. troops.
Joe Biden wanted to end the U.S. mission in Afghanistan
President Joe Biden was adamant about ending the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. Because of the changed scenario, he gave the order for the deployment of additional troops. It would be temporarily. Senior officials spoke with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Economic Times adds that Britain and Canada agreed to send troops to Afghanistan on a short-term basis to help their nationals leave the country.
The Pentagon's chief spokesman John Kirby said the influx of fresh troops "is a temporary mission with a narrow focus." He clarified to the media persons that the U.S. is not reentering combat with the Taliban.
Britain also wants to deploy troops to Afghanistan to assist in the evacuation
According to Sky News, Britain plans to deploy its troops to Afghanistan. They would extend assistance in the evacuation of U.K. nationals who remain in the country. The troops would provide force protection and leave over the weekend as a part of Operation Pitting. Apart from evacuating U.K. nationals, the troops would help in the relocation of Afghans. They might face reprisals from the Taliban because they helped British forces.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "Over the next few weeks, we shall all do our very best to support the Afghan government and those that have worked with us over 20 years." The mission of the newly arriving soldiers would primarily be to airlift embassy personnel and Afghan allies. However, their stay would depend on threats to the U.S. embassy in case of a Taliban takeover of Kabul. The hardline Islamist group is trying to isolate the capital, and the government forces are finding it hard to prevent that. In the words of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres: "Afghanistan is spinning out of control." His priority is the protection of civilians.
