The first Marines have arrived at Kabul's international airport as part of a mission ordered a day earlier by President Joe Biden as the Taliban makes sweeping gains following his withdrawal of US troops.
"We will reduce personnel of the German embassy in Kabul in the coming days to the operative absolute minimum," he told reporters. "We will send a crisis support team to Kabul to help us boost security precautions" during the evacuation.
"What we must do now is not turn our backs on Afghanistan but continue, as a member of the (UN) Security Council, a country deeply involved in the strategic future of the area, to work with our partners, and make sure the government of Kabul does not allow that country, again, to be a breeding ground for terror," he said.
NATO Allies are deeply concerned about the high levels of violence caused by the Taliban's offensive, including attacks on civilians, targeted killings, and reports of other serious human rights abuses
Evacuation orders come as the Taliban took control of Kandahar -- the nation's second-biggest city -- in the insurgency's heartland, leaving only Kabul and pockets of other territories in government hands
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid says the group has not taken a decision on whether to allow female bank employees in the areas which it controls
A photo that immortalized America's defeat in Vietnam, showing evacuees boarding a helicopter on the roof of a building, spread fast on social networks after the United States announced the emergency deployment on Thursday
The orders came as the Taliban took control of Kandahar, the nation's second biggest city in the insurgency's heartland, leaving only Kabul and pockets of other territory in government hands
"The first movement will consist of three infantry battalions that are currently in the Central Command area of responsibility. They will move to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul within the next 24 to 48 hours," said Defense Department spokesman John Kirby.