© 2026 ABC News

The question is at what point does one become necessary.

\"When does the situation make the continuation of the diplomatic mission untenable? When does it not make sense that 99.99% of the personnel in the embassy are for security? When will putting the remaining U.S. personnel at risk for a mission that has essentially ended not be worth it? These are the questions they will be asking, probably every day,\" said Mulroy, now an ABC News contributor.

While two U.S. officials said evacuation planning has been reviewed for some time, State Department spokesperson Ned Price declined to comment on any plans. Instead, he told reporters Wednesday, \"We have and will continue to make our own decisions based on, first and foremost, the threat assessment, the safety and security of our people.\"

In the meantime, the U.S. embassy has continued to quietly draw down some staff since it went on ordered departure on April 27 -- leaving only emergency personnel behind and allowing it to shift certain roles out of Afghanistan \"whose functions can be performed elsewhere,\" according to a State Department spokesperson.

\"PHOTO:
Stringer/Reuters
PHOTO: Taliban fighters patrol Farah, Afghanistan, Aug. 11, 2021.
>

But the Pentagon is pushing back on the \"narrative\" that the Taliban will seize the capital and other major cities, with its spokesperson John Kirby saying Wednesday, \"No potential outcome has to be inevitable, including the fall of Kabul, which everybody seems to be reporting about.\"

Kirby declined to comment on the U.S. military analysis, but he told reporters that while the Taliban \"keep advancing,\" there is still fight left in the Afghan security forces that the U.S. built, trained and equipped.

\"The narrative that in every place, in every way, the Afghan forces are simply folding up and walking away is not accurate,\" he said.

One U.S. official told ABC News, however, that those Afghan forces have an uphill battle, as momentum swings the Taliban's way with their capture of nine provincial capitals -- winning over heavy weaponry from Afghan troops, freeing their prisoners from government facilities, and building a powerful narrative about the government's collapse.

The Afghan military strategy to hold onto major population centers meant deploying its best troops -- special operations forces -- to top cities like Herat, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar, according to this official. But while the Taliban have been held at bay there, the group's fighters targeted other opportunities, winning critical successes across the country's northern provinces.

\"Right now what we see is an issue of leadership. It's both political and military leadership. We need to see Afghans' leaders united,\" Price told reporters at the State Department.

\"PHOTO:
Karim Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images
PHOTO: U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Qatar's envoy on counter-terrorism Mutlaq al-Qahtani walk down a hotel lobby in Qatar's capital Doha during an international meeting on the escalating conflict in Afghanistan, Aug. 10, 2021.
>

Rallying that leadership has been part of U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad's job in Doha, where he is trying to pressure both the Taliban and Afghan government delegations to resume peace negotiations -- and urge the Taliban to accept a reduction in violence and a ceasefire.

Khalilzad held meetings Tuesday and Wednesday with both delegations and fellow envoys from the United Nations and key countries, including Pakistan, Qatar, China and Russia. On Thursday, he's expected to meet the Taliban and Afghan government teams \"separately to encourage them to engage productively in Afghan peace negotiations and not squander this historic opportunity to end 40 years of conflict,\" the State Department spokesperson told ABC News.

Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar said Wednesday that it is the U.S. and other powers that need to do more to \"accelerate the negotiation process\" and pressure the Taliban to participate in good faith, \"backed up by real political, economic, maybe even enforcement measures.\"

Critics continue to denounce the Biden administration for pursuing these negotiations -- saying the Taliban has demonstrated it has no interest in talks. But Price said the U.S. continues to see diplomacy as the only way forward -- calling the week's meetings a \"necessary, but insufficient step\" and conceding progress \"has been painfully slow.\"

In the meantime, the humanitarian crisis for Afghan civilians continues to spiral. Over 18 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across the country, around 400,000 have fled their homes to seek refuge and the U.N.'s humanitarian response remains vastly underfunded with a shortfall of almost $800 million, its spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday.

But Biden himself seems un-phased by the violence, telling ABC News Tuesday, \"I do not regret my decision.\"

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/us-military-analysis-kabul-fall-taliban-90-days/story?id=79404085","legacySlug":"/news/story/us-military-analysis-kabul-fall-taliban-90-days-79404085","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"09:00","publishDate":"08-12-2021","updatedTime":"14:55","updatedDate":"08-12-2021","socialImage":{"alt":"Taliban fighters patrol Farah, Afghanistan, Aug. 11, 2021.","credit":"Stringer/Reuters","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/afghanistan-taliban-rt-jt-210811_1628731181819_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"8/12/2021 09:00:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":79404085,"headline":"Kabul could soon fall to Taliban: US military","mediaAssetTitle":"US/AFGHANISTAN/FINAL DAYS SCENARIOS","description":"There are growing concerns for the Americans working at the embassy in Kabul.","duration":"1:57","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/08/210812_gma_pannell_west1_713_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["132306053","132266872","132055565"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"April 23, 2026","headline":"Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","section":"News","slug":"/video/132306053","id":"132306053","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 22, 2026","headline":"Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","section":"News","slug":"/video/132266872","id":"132266872","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 15, 2026","headline":"American influencer found dead in Tanzania","section":"News","slug":"/video/132055565","id":"132055565","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Kabul could soon fall to Taliban: US military","description":"There are growing concerns for the Americans working at the embassy in Kabul.","duration":"1:57","uploadDate":"08-12-2021","publication":"08-12-2021","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/08/210812_gma_pannell_west1_713_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/08/210812_gma_pannell_west1_713_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/us-military-analysis-kabul-fall-taliban-90-days-79404085"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132281378","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132283010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132273278","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132231169","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132206748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132200241","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131432442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131121474","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131247079","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131228784","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131178806","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"Kabul could soon fall to Taliban: US military","pubTime":"05:00","pubDate":"08-12-2021","modTime":"10:55","modDate":"08-12-2021","taxonomyTags":"none","id":79404085,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Kabul could soon fall to Taliban: US military","mediaAssetTitle":"US/AFGHANISTAN/FINAL DAYS SCENARIOS","videoId":79404085,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/us-military-analysis-kabul-fall-taliban-90-days-79404085"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/79404085","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/79404085","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};