Blinken dials NATO chief over Afghanistan crisis

Washington [US], August 20 : US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday (local time) spoke to NATO chief Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg over the Afghanistan crisis as the country has been taken over by the Taliban.
Secretary Blinken and Secretary General Stoltenberg look forward to a virtual meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers on Friday, August 20, US State Department said in a statement.
The meeting will bring allies together to discuss developments in Afghanistan and NATO's efforts to ensure the safe and orderly evacuation of allied personnel and our Afghan partners, it said.
The Secretary and the Secretary-General stressed that close coordination with our Allies and partners is essential in this undertaking as well as to plan for NATO's path forward on engaging on Afghanistan.
In the last three days, Blinken has spoken to foreign ministers of multiple countries and discussed the unfolding situation in Afghanistan.
He has also said that the US will evacuate its citizens and help allies' in the war-torn nation as Kabul airport's disturbing visual emerged on social media in recent days.
The US State Department on Thursday said that it has airlifted more than 7000 evacuees since Saturday.
Afghanistan's future is hanging in balance as the country's government collapsed on Sunday soon after president Ashraf Ghani fled Kabul. The Taliban entered the presidential palace in the Afghan capital on Sunday and declared its victory over the government.
Efforts are being made to maintain stability in Afghanistan. However, thousands of people are rushing to the airport to flee the nation as they are afraid of the terror group's brutal atrocities in the nation.