Thousands of Fort Bragg troops deploying to Afghanistan to evacuate US embassy

With security rapidly deteriorating in Afghanistan, the United States is sending in an additional 3,000 troops to help evacuate some personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, officials said Thursday.
Posted 8/12/2021, 10:07:30 PM

AFTERNOON.

THAT IS THE HIGHEST NUMBER WE

HAVE SEEN SINCE FEBRUARY.

>>> BREAKING NEWS THIS

AFTERNOON, THOUSANDS OF FT.

BRAGG TROOPS DEPLOYED TO THE

MIDDLE EAST AS THE SITUATION

DETERIORATES.

GILBERT BAEZ JOINS US LIVE.

>> Reporter: WE CONFIRMED

POSSIBLY 4000 MEMBERS OF THE

82nd AIRBORNE DIVISION WILL BE

GOING BACK TO AFGHANISTAN.

THIS IS A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW

FOR GOLD STAR MEMBERS WHO HAD

ALREADY LOST LOVED ONES IN

AMERICA'S LONGEST WAR.

AS CONDITIONS DETERIORATE AND

THE TALIBAN STRENGTHENS ITS

GRIP ON THE COUNTRY, AMERICAN

FORCES ARE GOING BACK TO

AFGHANISTAN.

WE ARE TOLD THEIR MISSION IS TO

SECURE THE AMERICAN EMBASSY AND

HELP EVACUATE CIVILIANS.

PART OF THE FORCE WILL INCLUDE

MEMBERS OF THE 82nd AIRBORNE

DIVISION.

>> THEY ARE GOING TO HELPING

PROCESS AND 3000 TO THE AIRPORT

IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

AND THEN THERE WILL BE A

RESERVE FORCE OUT OF FT.

BRAGG THAT WILL STAGE OUT OF

KUWAIT.

THAT IS ROUGHLY 3500 TO 4000.

>> Reporter: THE MISSION IS

HARD FOR THIS OLD STAR MEMBER,

SHE LEFT.

>> IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME I

WOULD BE POSSIBLY FACING SUCH A

THING AGAIN.

OF SOMEBODY I LOVE GOING BACK

TO THE SAME PLACE.

>> Reporter: HER HUSBAND, CHIEF

WARRANT OFFICER WAS A SPECIAL

FORCES SOLDIER FROM FT.

BRAGG TOOK ONE OF THE FIRST

SOLDIERS KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN.

AND NOW THEIR SON IS A MEMBER

OF THE 82nd AIRBORNE DIVISION

AND COULD POSSIBLY BE SENT TO

AFGHANISTAN, THE PLACE WHERE

HIS FATHER DIED.

>> I REMEMBER WHEN YOU AND I

FIRST TALKED, I TOLD YOU,

FINISH THE MISSION SO WE DON'T

HAVE TO GO BACK.

>> Reporter: RIGHT NOW, THERE

IS NO EXACT WORD ON WHEN THE

82nd AIRBORNE DIVISION WILL

DEPLOY.

THIS POST HAS THE ABILITY TO

SEND TROOPS ANYWHERE IN THE

WORLD, HAVE WHEELS UP AT FT.

BRAGG WITHIN 18 HOURS.

>> YOU CAN HEAR THE EMOTION IN

HER VOICE.

YOU FEEL FOR THE MILITARY

FAMILIES.

THANKS.

>>> SENATOR THOM TILLIS

CRITICIZING THE PRESIDENT'S

APPROACH TO THE SITUATION IN

AFGHANISTAN.

IN A STATEMENT, HE SAID THE

PRESIDENT IS COMPLETELY

DETACHED FROM REALITY.

I LISTENED TO HIS OWN GENERALS

EXPRESS GRAVE CONCERNS AFGHAN

FORCES WERE NOT PREPARED FOR AN

AMERICAN WITHDRAWAL.

WE ARE SEEING THE WORLD'S MOST

POWERFUL COUNTRY PLEADING WITH

TALIBAN TERRORIST NOT TO ATTACK