Taliban fighters have taken the Afghan city of Lashkar Gah, following their capture of Kandahar and Herat, as the security situation in the country rapidly deteriorates.
A police official confirmed the capture of the city in the southern province of Helmand, with Afghan officials moving to Camp Bastion and about 1,500 soldiers surrendering.
If follows the announcement by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace on Thursday morning that the UK is sending military personnel to help evacuate Britons from Afghanistan.
He said 600 troops will be sent to Kabul on a “short-term basis” in response to the increasing violence across the country. They are expected to arrive in the coming days.
Taliban forces took Kandahar and Herat – Afghanistan’s second and third-largest cities respectively – on Thursday and US intelligence warned Kabul could fall within 90 days.
The capture of Kandahar marks the biggest prize yet for the Taliban, which has now taken 12 of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial capitals.
Officials said Kandahar fell last night and that government officials and their entourage managed to flee to the airport to escape the city by air.
Taliban fighters rushed past the Great Mosque in the historic city of Herat – which dates to 500 BC and was once a spoil of Alexander the Great – and seized government buildings.
Mr Wallace said: “I have authorised the deployment of additional military personnel to support the diplomatic presence in Kabul, assist British nationals to leave the country and support the relocation of former Afghan staff who risked their lives serving alongside us.
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Will Kabul fall to the Taliban?
“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.”
The Ministry of Defence has characterised the move as part of the ongoing withdrawal of NATO forces, but in reality it is an unplanned emergency response to the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan as the Taliban rampages across the country.
The British soldiers will also assist with the acceleration of the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy.
“This will help to make sure interpreters and other Afghan staff who risked their lives working alongside UK forces in Afghanistan can relocate to the UK as soon as possible,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
The number of staff working at the British Embassy in Kabul has also been significantly reduced to a “core group”, the government has announced – the remaining staff will focus on consular help to anyone wanting to leave the country.
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The British ambassador to Afghanistan, Sir Laurie Bristow, will remain in Kabul but will relocate to a more secure location.
The US has also announced that it is deploying some 3,000 additional troops to help the departure of its embassy staff.
The American embassy will remain open, although personnel will be reduced to a “core diplomatic presence”.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani last night – telling him the US “remains invested in the security and stability of Afghanistan”.
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Afghanistan withdrawal a ‘catastrophic mistake’
On Wednesday, David Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee, warned the West not to take its eyes off Afghanistan as the Taliban’s forces continue to make gains after British and US troops were withdrawn.
Conservative MP and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat suggested the UK’s withdrawal from Afghanistan is a mistake.
“We can turn this around. We need to. Investing in ourselves, our allies and partners has never been easier or more important. This is a choice. So far we’re choosing to lose,” he posted on social media.