Baghdad / NINA / – US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said this evening, Wednesday, that there are about 4,500 US soldiers in the Afghan capital, Kabul, but there are no hostilities with the Taliban, and the lines of communication with Taliban leaders are still open.
During a joint press conference with the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Austin stressed that: The goal of the US military is to increase the capacity for daily evacuations from Afghanistan.
He stressed that: America has a moral obligation to help the Afghans who helped it.
For his part, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said: The security situation at Kabul Airport is currently stable.
He stressed that: There was no sign of the Taliban’s rapid takeover of Afghanistan with the withdrawal of US forces from the country.
He continued, “I had no indication of the collapse of this army and this government in 11 days.”
Milley explained: The Afghan security forces had the ability, and by that, I mean training, many, and the ability to defend their country. / End
Source: National Iraqi News Agency