The Pentagon said Saturday that the United States has sent more soldiers to the airport in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in order to secure it, while the evacuation of thousands of people continues outside the country.

Two US officials said, at a press conference in Washington, that work is underway to get American nationals and Afghan collaborators to safe areas.

He pointed out that 9 American planes evacuated more than 3,000 people out of Afghanistan during the past 24 hours, explaining that 2,500 American citizens were evacuated.

In all, the Pentagon said 17,000 people have been moved since the evacuations from Kabul airport began.

He also explained that 5 American soldiers are in Afghanistan, at the present time, explaining that “the airport must be secured and its safety ensured, in order to evacuate people.”

He pointed out that the United States began evacuations from Kabul airport a week ago, after the Taliban took control of the country’s capital, but he acknowledged the difficulty of the process.

The Pentagon confirmed continuing communication with the Taliban regarding the security of the Afghan capital’s airport, given the presence of the movement’s elements outside it.

The US Department of Defense stated that field commanders in Afghanistan will take appropriate measures, according to developments on the ground.

The Pentagon refused to disclose the situation on the ground in detail, given the sensitivity of the information being obtained through the intelligence.

He acknowledged waging a war against time, saying: “We will try as much as possible to speed up the evacuations, and we will not give expectations, because the focus is currently on carrying out the mission.”

In a related context, Switzerland and Germany announced, on Saturday, the postponement and cancellation of evacuation flights from the Afghan capital, due to the deteriorating security situation in the vicinity of the airport.