A further withdrawal of personnel from the US embassy in Kabul is debated, sources say, as the Taliban advance rapidly in Afghanistan

(CNN) – State Department officials are actively discussing further downsizing at the US embassy in Kabul, according to two sources familiar with the discussions, as the Taliban continue to gain ground in Afghanistan.

Those advances – which have come much more quickly than many US officials expected – have made the situation more urgent and accelerated talks that have been going on for some time, one of the sources said.

US officials no longer speak of six months as the likely timeframe for the collapse of the Afghan government; they now believe it could happen much more quickly, the two sources said. The US military began withdrawing from the country earlier this year and has completed more than 95% of the US troop withdrawal, which will conclude by the end of August.

Identify essential personnel

Right now, the State Department is working to identify essential personnel at the embassy and some sort of partial downsizing is likely in the coming days or weeks, the sources said. The embassy already reduced the number of diplomats in Kabul earlier this year, where hundreds of people serve, and has continued to slowly reduce the total number of officials in recent months. A partial reduction would be a continuation of efforts to reduce the US presence due to the security situation.

Afghanistan President Calls To Confront Taliban 0:46

No final decision has been made on the details of a further reduction, but the decision is expected to be clarified in the coming days, the sources said.

Asked about these conversations, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the “US position has not changed” since the embassy was ordered to leave in April. Price added that the department is evaluating threats on a daily basis “to determine which staffing position is in the best interest of those serving in the embassy, ​​and how we can continue to keep them safe.”

The changing security situation

Some officials in the Biden administration who were reluctant to withdraw US diplomats are beginning to change their minds and agree with the more cautious approach of officials who want to start the process now – even if it only means withdrawing a small number. of US contractors and diplomats – before a significant number of personnel have to be removed under pressure, a source said. The United States does not believe that Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, is under immediate threat, said a source and a defense official, but the feeling is that the Biden administration must be prepared.

Scene of a car bomb attack in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, on August 4.

A defense official said the US military would generally be in favor of reducing the number of personnel in the US embassy because if an evacuation is necessary, it is more difficult to do so with more people. This official told CNN that the military is maintaining a constant security and transportation capacity to be prepared in case they have to evacuate the embassy. But the defense official also stressed that the military is aware that the decision on the embassy belongs to the State Department.

If an embassy evacuation is ordered, the US plan would be to put a number of US troops on the ground at that time to ensure security at the embassy, ​​the airport, and the roads and airspace between the two, according to the defense officer. It would be very robust in large part to send a message to the Taliban not to interfere.

Maintain diplomatic support

State Department officials have repeatedly stated that they intend to maintain their diplomatic footprint in Kabul after the withdrawal of US troops is complete. However, further downsizing at the embassy will quickly reinforce concerns that the US is leaving Afghanistan as the country sinks into potential civil war, and will call into question the Biden administration’s claim that they will be able to maintain diplomatic support for the government of Afghanistan.

“We are withdrawing our forces from Afghanistan, but we are not leaving Afghanistan. We will continue to be diplomatically engaged, supporting Afghanistan with economic, humanitarian and development aid for its security forces, and doing so with our partners,” the secretary of state said last month. State Antony Blinken.

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President Joe Biden has echoed these sentiments, stating that the United States will maintain its diplomatic presence in the country.

Reductions at the embassy in Kabul

The State Department had already reduced the staff of the US embassy in Kabul, one of the largest US diplomatic posts in the world. In April, the department “ordered the departure from the US Embassy in Kabul of US government employees whose duties may be performed elsewhere due to increased violence and reports of threats in Kabul. “.

This weekend, the embassy urged US citizens in Afghanistan to leave the country “immediately using available commercial flight options.”

“Given the security conditions and staff reduction, the Embassy’s ability to assist US citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited, even within Kabul,” the embassy security alert read.

The head of the United States Central Command, General Kenneth McKenzie, during a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 25.

Despite the reductions that have already taken place, the embassy in Kabul “continues with its full agenda of affairs, including support for peace, security, economic, humanitarian and other assistance, cooperation in the fight against terrorism and law enforcement, consular services, including especially the special visa program for immigrants, and public affairs, “said a State Department spokesman.

Limits to diplomatic work

But while these basic functions are being carried out, there are limits to what diplomats can do on the ground, given security concerns.

“It’s a tough security environment,” Price said Tuesday. “If we were confident, if we felt comfortable having a greater staff presence there, we would, but we are assessing the threat environment, on a daily basis.”

Discussions about a reduction come as the United States keep pressing for a diplomatic solution even if the Taliban continue to take territory by force.

Murals painted on the walls of the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 30, 2021. (Credit: Paula Bronstein / Getty Images)

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad left for Doha on Sunday “to help formulate a joint international response to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan,” the State Department announced Monday.

Khalilzad “will pressure the Taliban to stop their military offensive and negotiate a political settlement, which is the only way to stability and development in Afghanistan,” the department said.

Contact with allies

In recent weeks, the State Department has also given close allies the option of maintaining a small diplomatic footprint by standing alongside the US on land that used to be occupied by the Mission’s Resolute Support. NATO, according to three sources familiar with the situation. The State Department and its contractors have taken over the operations and security of these grounds, which are right next to the US embassy.

Some countries are considering it, but do not consider that the current moment is opportune to make that decision, given the rapid disintegration of the security situation. There is also some concern about the durability of some of the structures on the ground that are now referred to as the “southern embassy.”

Meanwhile, as the Taliban’s advances intensify, US allies are quietly sharing a strong message with their US counterparts: The US must take action to stop the offensive, according to US diplomats. abroad.

“German officials feel this needs to be fixed, and they are telling us,” explained an American diplomat.

With information from Barbara Starr, Jennifer Hansler and Christian Sierra.