President Biden said Saturday he would send approximately 5,000 U.S. troops to safely evacuate U.S. and allied personnel, a force slightly larger than the 3,000 personnel already in transit back to Afghanistan and the 1,000 already there.

       Mr. Biden made the decisions after consultations with top advisers while he was working at Camp David. Mr. Biden also defended his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, as the Taliban continues to advance in the country.

       The steps announced by Mr. Biden don’t represent a major course correction in his decision to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan and largely consist of adjustments to moves already under way as he seeks to disengage from America’s longest war.

       “I was the fourth President to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan—two Republicans, two Democrats. I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth," he said in a statement.

       The 5,000 troops include the 3,000 U.S. infantry troops, including one Army and two Marine Corps units, that were announced last week, as well as another 1,000 troops already stationed on the ground. Mr. Biden’s announcement Saturday effectively means there will be an additional 1,000 troops sent from the Gulf region into Kabul due to the worsening security situation there.

       The troops are being sent to Afghanistan to carry out the evacuation of diplomatic and other personnel. The Pentagon said Friday that the first elements of that force had already arrived in Kabul. In addition, the U.S. also has about 1,000 troops who have been protecting the U.S. Embassy and the airport.

       In the lengthy statement, Mr. Biden also said he has ordered the intelligence community to maintain its capabilities to address any future terrorist threats from Afghanistan. He said he has ordered Secretary of State Antony Blinken to support Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and other leaders to pursue a political settlement.

       He also said Taliban representatives in Doha have been told that any action on the ground in Afghanistan against U.S. personnel “will be met with a swift and strong U.S. military response."

       Mr. Biden reiterated in the statement that Ambassador Tracey Jacobson is in charge of processing and relocating Afghan allies coming to the U.S. on special immigrant visa applications.

       The administration has previously said it was seeking to develop what it calls an “over-the-horizon" capability to mount attacks inside Afghanistan if terrorist groups appear there once U.S. forces are gone.

       The administration has yet to secure access to Central Asian countries it would like to use to improve such an intervention capability, and CIA Director William Burns has told Congress that the removal of American forces would hamper his agency’s ability to gather intelligence within the country.

       The State Department said Mr. Blinken had spoken Saturday with Mr. Ghani about diplomatic efforts to reduce the violence.

       Mr. Biden has come under pressure in recent days from Republican lawmakers and some former U.S. military commanders to take stronger action. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) has urged Mr. Biden to step up airstrikes to stem further Taliban gains.

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       On Friday, John Allen, a former U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said the U.S. should warn the Taliban that the U.S. would intervene militarily if Taliban fighters sought to enter Kabul. “The Biden administration should issue a public redline to the Taliban," retired Gen. Allen wrote in an article in Defense One.

       Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.) said in a statement Saturday that Mr. Biden should reconsider his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. “The consequences of the U.S. bugging out of Afghanistan were obvious and are now coming to fruition with stunning speed," Mr. Johnson said. “Public executions, the subjugation of women and the flourishing of terrorist organizations will be depressing to witness."

       This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text

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