Steve HermanVarmennettu tili

That's approximately 3,000 military personnel, according to @PentagonPresSec.

US military will also locate and help secure facilities for the movement and relocation of SIV applicants, says @PentagonPresSec.

"I won't speculate beyond August 31st what the (US military) footprint is going to look like," says @PentagonPresSec, answering reporters' questions about what he acknowledges is a "rapidly deteriorating security situation in and around Kabul."

Another 1,000 military personnel to #Qatar for helping to process SIV applicants and others being sent to #Kuwait to standby as a quick reaction force, if needed, explains @PentagonPresSec.

"The Turks are still in the lead for security" at Hamid Karzai International Airport, says @PentagonPresSec.

"I'm not going to do battlefield assessment from here at the Pentagon podium," replies @Pentagon when asked about whether #Taliban have taken Herat in #Afghanistan.

Asked repeatedly by @LucasFoxNews if this is a combat mission, @PentagonPresSec replies: "I've already described this mission three times."

Replying to @jseldin on cities falling to #Taliban despite US military air strikes, @PentagonPresSec says: "Obviously, no one is pleased to see the security situation in Afghanistan continue to deteriorate."

There's no discussion about using the Kabul airport to conduct US air strikes in and around #Afghanistan, says @PentagonPresSec.

"I don't share your view of the irony," replies @PentagonPresSec of thousands of US troops going to #Afghanistan and the region while the drawdown is supposed to be completed by the end of the month.

"I'm not going to speculate about hypothetical situations," responds @PentagonPresSec when asked about the impending "fall of Kabul."

"They will have the ability to defend themselves" but this is not being called a combat operation, adds @PentagonPresSec.

"Nobody is abandoning Afghanistan," declares @PentagonPressSec.

Asked about whether this action will trigger panic among the people of #Afghanistan, @PentagonPresSec replies: "This is about the safe movement of our people in Afghanistan."

Clarifying: 3,000+ US troops back to #Afghanistan ~3,500 additional US troops to the region to be on standby plus ~1,000 personnel to help process Afghans going through the special immigration process.