US begins evacuating embassy in Kabul

The United States has started evacuating diplomats from its embassy in Kabul, two US officials said on Sunday.

“We have a small batch of people leaving now as we speak, a majority of the staff are ready to leave… the embassy continues to function,” one of the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said.

US officials previously said that diplomats inside had begun destroying sensitive documents.

It had been expected that the evacuation of most diplomats would begin on Sunday, as Taliban insurgents continued lightning advances that brought the Islamist group to the door of Kabul in a matter of days.

The moves came as the Taliban earlier seized the last major city outside of Kabul held by the country’s increasingly isolated central government, cutting off the capital to the east and tightening their grip on the nation as tens of thousands fled their rapid advance.