US to send troops to help evacuate personnel in Afghanistan, as Kandahar becomes latest city to fall

By Melissa Mahtani, Melissa Macaya, Maureen Chowdhury, Veronica Rocha, Meg Wagner, Steve George and Brad Lendon, CNN

Updated 11:42 a.m. ET, August 13, 2021
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7:16 p.m. ET, August 12, 2021

Situation in Afghanistan is "a consequence of 20 years of American misjudgments," says retired general

From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury

Retired General Wesley Clark.
Retired General Wesley Clark. (CNN)

Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, former supreme allied commander of NATO, attributed the current dire situation in Afghanistan to "20 years of American misjudgments, of poor prioritizations and failed policies."

"For the Biden administration I think they reached the end of the road. It was clear that they weren't going to be able to create or help create an Afghanistan government that supported its people. And without that government support, its military did not have the support of the people. And this is the consequence of it. It's painful. It's tragic," Clark told CNN's Jim Acosta.

Watch the full interview:

6:59 p.m. ET, August 12, 2021

US tells Afghan president it remains "invested" in the country

From CNN's Jennifer Hansler

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stressed to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani “that the United States remains invested in the security and stability of Afghanistan in the face of violence by the Taliban,” according to a State Department readout of their call Thursday.

“Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin informed President Ghani that the United States is reducing our civilian footprint in Kabul in light of the evolving security situation and will accelerate the tempo of Special Immigration Visa (SIV) flights,” the readout from State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. “The Secretaries both emphasized that the United States remains committed to maintaining a strong diplomatic and security relationship with the Government of Afghanistan.”

An unnamed State Department spokesperson denied reports that Austin and Blinken asked Ghani to step down in order to facilitate a ceasefire and transitional government.

“The United States has not asked President Ghani to resign and rumors indicating we have done so are completely false,” this spokesperson said. “Decisions about who leads the country are for Afghans to make.”

6:45 p.m. ET, August 12, 2021

The fall of Kandahar would be seen as a "death knell" for Afghan forces, CNN's Clarissa Ward says

From CNN's Clarissa Ward in Kabul

An Afghan security personnel stands guard along a road in Kandahar on July 14.
An Afghan security personnel stands guard along a road in Kandahar on July 14. (Javeed Tanveer/AFP/Getty Images)

The fall of Kandahar, Afghanistan's second largest city, would be viewed as "death knell" for the country's government and military, CNN's chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward reports from Kabul.

"If Kandahar falls... this will be a real game changer moment and certainly people here in the capital, in Kabul, feel like Kandahar going down would be the death knell for Afghan forces, for the Afghan government," she said.

Twelve provincial Afghanistan capitals are now under Taliban control after the militant group captured two more strategic cities on Thursday, leaving the Afghan capital of Kabul increasingly beleaguered and cut off from the rest of the country.

The city of Herat, Afghanistan's third-largest city and a major urban center in western Afghanistan, fell to the Taliban on Thursday evening local time, with the group taking control of the governor's office and Herat police headquarters, according to Afghan officials.

11:42 a.m. ET, August 13, 2021

Pentagon plans to airlift staff and special immigrant visa applicants out of Afghanistan

From CNN's Ellie Kaufman

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon, on Thursday, August 12.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon, on Thursday, August 12. Andrew Harnik/AP

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said US troops being sent to Hamid Karzai International Airport to support the drawdown of civilian embassy personnel in Afghanistan will be “postured to support airlift” of those personnel and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants out of the country. Kirby made these comments during a news briefing at the Pentagon Thursday.

“We certainly anticipate being postured to support airlift as well for not only the reduction of civilian personnel from the embassy but also in the forward movement of special immigrant visa applicants,” Kirby said. “So we do anticipate that there will be airlift required of us, and we are working on final plans right now to put that into place.”

Kirby said SIV applicants will be sent to “locations overseas outside of the United States as well as US installations.” Kirby did not know exact locations of where SIV applicants will be sent, he said.

“We anticipate that we’ll be looking at locations overseas outside of the United States as well as US installations that belong to the United States either overseas and/or here at home,” Kirby said. “I don’t have a list for you right now, but I think it’ll be a mix of both.”

So far there have been six flights carrying 995 SIV applicants and their families to the US. Upward of 15,000 applicants remain in country. 

5:21 p.m. ET, August 12, 2021

Pentagon says sending 3,000 troops to Afghanistan is about "prudent preparation" 

From CNN's Josiah Ryan

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby today defended the Pentagon's decision to send 3,000 US troops into Afghanistan as "prudent preparation," suggesting it is necessary to send so many in order to plan for the worst case scenario. 

"This is about prudent preparation," said Kirby, responding to a reporter's question on why the US was sending such a "high" number of troops. "We want to make sure that we've got enough on hand to adapt to any contingencies."

"Your question about the numbers being too high, we believe it is appropriate to the security situation that we see now and that we can anticipate possibly in the future," he continued. 

"The secretary believes the safety and security of our people, not just American troops, but our allies and partners and our State Department colleagues is of paramount concern," Kirby added. "He is not going to add additional risk to that safe movement."

Two of the infantry battalions headed to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul are US Marines and one is US Army, Kirby said. All three battalions are coming from the Central Command area of responsibility, which is the part of the US military based in the Middle East.  

4:12 p.m. ET, August 12, 2021

UK sending military personnel to Afghanistan to help British nationals leave

From CNN's Caitlin Hu

Additional UK military personnel will deploy to Afghanistan on a short-term basis to provide support to British nationals leaving the country, a joint news release from the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said.

"The additional deployment of approximately 600 troops is in light of the increasing violence and rapidly deteriorating security environment in the country. In parallel, the number of staff working at the British Embassy in Kabul has been reduced to a core team focused on providing consular and visa services for those needing to rapidly leave the country," the statement released Thursday said.

“The security of British nationals, British military personnel and former Afghan staff is our first priority. We must do everything we can to ensure their safety,” UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace added.

4:15 p.m. ET, August 12, 2021

Biden signed off on order to send US troops to Afghanistan 

From CNN's Pamela Brown and Jeff Zeleny

President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Thursday.
President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Thursday. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

President Biden signed off on the order today to send US troops to Afghanistan, following a meeting last night at the White House, where he tasked his top national security advisers to come up with a plan to present to him this morning, a White House official tells CNN.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan briefed Biden this morning. He gave the order at that time, the official said.

The President did not attend the meetings today, as CNN reported, but the White House is trying to make clear Biden is engaged on this issue and “monitoring closely.”

5:32 p.m. ET, August 12, 2021

US sending in more troops into Afghanistan than they initially had at the start of withdrawal

From CNN's Nick Patton Walsh / Written by CNN's Maureen Chowdhury

By sending in 3,000 additional troops into Afghanistan to assist with the departure of diplomats and possible evacuations, the US now will have more troops in the country than what they initially had when they began withdrawal, CNN's Nick Patton Walsh reported Thursday.

"So, we're into this extraordinary two- to three-week period. Because they will leave the end of August as part of the plan in which the Americans can be sending in large numbers of troops, obviously with air cover and enablers to keep themselves safe. So essentially establishing a military presence in Kabul," Patton Walsh told CNN's Julia Chatterly.

He continued, "It will doubtless have an impact on some of the nearby buildings in areas, providing a degree of security blanket for many of the important parts of Kabul. And frankly, a significant warning sign for the Taliban to stay back from the capital. Not that at this stage, they look like they're moving close to it that fast. But you then have a situation, two to three weeks down the line, when the US has pulled out its civilian staff, has presumably got out most of the people it wants to see out as part of its' special immigrant visa program, for those who worked with the Americans. And will then have to... leave again. So that is an extraordinary decision to make and would likely be an extraordinary visual, frankly, when it comes down the road at the end of the month."

Patton Walsh also elaborated on the stunning ground the Taliban was able to gain, now controlling 12 provincial capitals, including the country's third largest city Herat and also the city of Ghazni.

"The situation is frankly dire. In one week we've seen at least a third of Kabul's main cities falling to the Taliban. Nobody thought the advance would be this fast," he said.

3:57 p.m. ET, August 12, 2021

EU condemns "increasing" human rights violations in Taliban-controlled areas of Afghanistan

From CNN's Lauren Kent

A Taliban flag is seen on a plinth with people gathered around the main city square at Pul-e-Khumri on August 11.
A Taliban flag is seen on a plinth with people gathered around the main city square at Pul-e-Khumri on August 11. (AFP/Getty Images)

The European Union has condemned "increasing violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and human rights" in Taliban-controlled areas of Afghanistan, according to a statement from EU High Representative Josep Borrell released Thursday.

"The Taliban’s ongoing military offensive is in direct contradiction to their stated commitment to a negotiated settlement of the conflict and the Doha peace process," Borrell said. 

"The EU calls on the Taliban to immediately resume substantive, regular and structured talks and also calls for an immediate halt of the ongoing violence and for a comprehensive, permanent ceasefire. These continued attacks are causing unacceptable suffering to Afghan citizens and are increasing the number of internally displaced and those leaving Afghanistan in search of safety."

Borrell added that the EU aims to continue to support the Afghan people.

"However, support will be conditioned on a peaceful and inclusive settlement and respect for the fundamental rights of all Afghans, including women, youth and minorities," Borrell added. "Otherwise, if power is taken by force and an Islamic Emirate re-established, the Taliban would face non-recognition, isolation, lack of international support and the prospect of continued conflict and protracted instability in Afghanistan."