In a statement released on Saturday, President Joe Biden authorized an extra direct deployment of 1,000 soldiers to Afghanistan.
Biden To Deploy Additional Troops in Afghanistan
In a recently published article in The Hill, Biden said he approved the deployment to ensure an orderly and secure withdrawal of the U.S. and other partner forces, as well as an orderly and safe evacuation of Afghans who assisted the troops throughout their mission and those who were particularly vulnerable to the Taliban onslaught.
According to a military official, Biden's authorization of 5,000 soldiers in his Saturday speech includes 1,000 troops already on the ground in the nation. The 82nd Airborne Division's battalion of 1,000 soldiers was diverted to Kabul from their intended standby location in Kuwait.
Meanwhile, according to the military source, the Pentagon had already confirmed the arrival of 3,000 more soldiers. The 82nd Airborne soldiers diverted to Kabul were supposed to be part of a contingent of up to 4,000 troops from the same division stationed in Kuwait on standby in case of a crisis, according to a published report in CNN News.
The United States Warned Taliban Officials
The U.S. authorities have warned Taliban leaders that any action on the ground in Afghanistan that threatens the safety of the U.S. troops or the operation would be met with a quick and robust U.S. military reaction, according to Biden in a recently published article in USA Today.
The president made the announcement in a statement outlining a number of steps he is doing to assist Afghan troops in countering the Taliban offensive, less than three weeks before the U.S. military pullout is set to end. This is also due to the escalating armed conflict in the war-torn country.
Biden's decision to deploy additional troops came after the Taliban took control of Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan's fourth biggest city, inflicting yet another blow on the country's beleaguered government. The terrorist organization already controls almost a quarter of Afghanistan's 34 provinces and is rapidly advancing on Kabul, the capital.
Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan
As Taliban militants continue to seize significant areas of the nation, including Herat and Kandahar, the country's second and third-biggest towns, the conflict has created a humanitarian catastrophe that has driven tens of thousands of Afghans to leave their homes.
According to Hoda Ahmadi, a legislator from the province, the Taliban now rule all of northern Afghanistan, while the militants have seized all of Logar province, just south of Kabul, and arrested local authorities.
According to the United Nations, nearly 1,000 people have died as a result of the assault in the last month. Unicef, the United Nations organization for children, released a statement earlier this week warning of the abuses against children, adding that the crimes are increasing by the day.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani talked on the phone on Saturday afternoon, according to State Department spokesman Ned Price, to emphasize the importance of continuing diplomatic and political efforts to decrease the bloodshed.
Price said "The Secretary emphasized the United States' commitment to a strong diplomatic and security relationship with the Government of Afghanistan and our continuing support for the people of Afghanistan," according to a published article in Associated Press.