Evacuation plans readied as Taliban advance continues

CGTN

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Qalat, the capital of Zabul province in Afghanistan's south, has become the 18th city seized by the Taliban, the insurgents claimed on Friday.

NATO ambassadors are meeting to discuss Afghanistan's security situation and coordinate national measures to reduce embassy staff in Kabul, reported Reuters, citing a security source.

Echoing similar announcements by the United States and other Western governments, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Friday that the country would reduce its embassy staff in Kabul to the bare minimum.

Denmark is closing its embassy in Kabul because of the worsening security situation in Afghanistan, and evacuating its staff, Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said on Friday.

(Cover: Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Ghazni, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan, August 12, 2021. /CFP)