The United States is urging its citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately

The United States has urged its citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately. Earlier, the Netherlands, along with others, called for an exit.

The US Embassy in Kabul advises people to book a flight. “Because of the security situation, even in Kabul, we have very little resources to help American citizens.” Writes Embassy. The Taliban have been on the rise since the withdrawal of Western forces.

The Dutch Foreign Ministry warned that the Dutch could not be “supported or expelled”. There is also a risk of flights from Kabul being stopped unannounced, the ministry stressed yesterday.

Correspondent Aleta Andre says the condition of the airport is very uncertain in the coming weeks. “It is now protected by the Americans, but it is questionable how long they will last. Therefore, more and more flights can be canceled because airlines do not see it as safe.”

Fighting closer to Kabul

Andre says the situation in the country is becoming more and more dangerous day by day. “There is fierce fighting and those fights are approaching Kabul,” Andre says. Yesterday, the Taliban captured the first provincial capital, Jaran, near the Iranian border. “It went without much fighting. The government could not send reinforcements because there is already a lot of fighting in other major cities.”

Shebergan, the provincial capital in the north of the country, is also said to have been taken. The city, with a population of about 130,000, is located on an important link between East and West. Other cities threatened by the advancing Taliban are Herat in the west and Lashkar Gah and Kandahar in the south, the second largest city in the country.

The United Kingdom, including China and France, has called on citizens to leave Afghanistan. Australia closed its embassy in Kabul a few weeks ago.