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NATO to maintain diplomatic presence in Kabul, adjusting it as necessary

Earlier, a number of NATO countries have begun a partial evacuation of their nationals from Kabul

BRUSSLES, August 13. /TASS/. NATO will keep its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan and will adjust it as necessary, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement on Friday after a North Atlantic Council extraordinary meeting on the situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s (outlawed in Russia) continuing offense.

"NATO will maintain our diplomatic presence in Kabul, and continue to adjust as necessary," he said.

A number of NATO countries have begun a partial evacuation of their nationals from Kabul.

US President Joe Biden said on April 14 he had decided to finish the operation in Afghanistan, the longest foreign military campaign in US history, and pull out American troops by September 11.

The US operation in Afghanistan has been ongoing since October 2001. At its peak in 2010-2013, the number of foreign troops in the country exceeded 150,000 soldiers. The main operational forces of the US and NATO were withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2014.

Since April, the security situation in Afghanistan has seriously degraded, with the Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) expanding its offensive. According to different open sources and Taliban statements, the radicals have established control over from 60 to 85% of the country’s territory, including areas along the borders with Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.