US top diplomat in Afghanistan denies reports that he left Kabul

The top US diplomat in Afghanistan denied on Tuesday that he had left Kabul on an evacuation flight after the Taliban took over the national capital on Saturday. According to Chargé d'Affaires Ross Wilson, the embassy is still operating in Afghanistan and has been working to help thousands of US citizens and vulnerable Afghans evacuate.

Taking on to Twitter, Wilson announced, "Contrary to false reports, [US Embassy in Kabul] staff & I remain in Kabul working hard to help 1000s of U.S. citizens and vulnerable Afghans & continuing engagement here. Our commitment to the Afghan people endures."

The Taliban has taken over Afghanistan in recent days, gaining control of Kabul this weekend as the US finished withdrawing troops, diplomats, and Afghans who had worked with the alliance for the previous 20 years. The US embassy stated that it would continue to assist citizens attempting to flee the country and that it has sent thousands of troops to assist.

US President authorizes additional troops 

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden on Tuesday authorized to deploy additional 6000 troops to help the departure of US citizens and allied civilian personnel from the country now ruled by the Taliban. "I have authorized 6,000 US troops to deploy to Afghanistan to assist in the departure of US and Allied civilian personnel from Afghanistan — and to evacuate our Afghan allies and vulnerable Afghans to safety outside the country," he wrote on Twitter.

It is pertinent to note that Flights from Kabul airport, Afghanistan's only exit point, were suspended for the majority of Monday after at least seven people were reportedly killed when chaos ensued as hundreds of people swarmed into moving planes in an attempt to flee the country on already-overcrowded planes.