US evacuated 500 embassy staffers from Afghanistan Sunday

The U.S. on Sunday evacuated 500 embassy staffers from Afghanistan amid the Taliban takeover of the country, a Defense Department official told CNN. 

Two other sources said 4,000 other staff members are still trying to find their way out of the country, including U.S. and Afghan citizens, according to CNN. 

CNN reported that it is unknown if family members of the Afghan nationals will be able to join them on the flight, with officials saying they don’t have a plan at the time. 

The U.S. embassy in the capital of Kabul said U.S. citizens remaining in the country should take shelter amid reports of the city capital taking fire. 

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country after the Taliban took over the capital, saying he didn’t want to see more bloodshed in his country. 

In April, President Biden announced that all U.S. troops will withdraw from Afghanistan after spending nearly twenty years there. The withdrawal was almost complete, but the Pentagon has in the past week authorized sending 6,000 additional troops to Afghanistan to help with the evacuations.

The Hill has reached out to the State Department and the Department of Defense for comment.