The Latest: Denmark to shut Kabul embassy, urges Danes leave

The Latest developments on Afghanistan, where a weeklong Taliban blitz has taken large swaths of territory just weeks ahead of the final pullout of all American and NATO troops from the war-torn country:

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Denmark’s foreign minister on Friday urged Danes in Afghanistan to leave the country, calling the fast-evolving crisis “a very serious situation” as Taliban take even more territory across the war-torn country.

Jeppe Kofod confirmed that the Danish Embassy in Kabul was closing but that “for security reasons, we cannot say exactly when the embassy will close.”

On Wednesday, Danish lawmakers agreed to evacuate 45 Afghan citizens who worked for Denmark’s government in Afghanistan and to offer them residency in the European country for two years. Denmark opened its embassy in Kabul in 2006.

In Oslo, Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said the Norwegian Embassy in Kabul also was closing. She said it was temporary and that “the safety of our employees is our highest priority.”

The Norwegian government has said it will not bring home former employees out of the war-torn country. Soereide said the evacuation includes embassy employees — both Norwegians and locals “with immediate family.”

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MORE ON THE CRISIS IN AFGHANISTAN:

— Taliban sweep across Afghanistan’s south; take 4 more cities

— Bitter blow: UK’s former hub in Afghanistan taken by Taliban

— US rushes in troops to speed up evacuations in Afghanistan

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

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BERLIN — Germany’s foreign minister says that his country is reducing its embassy staff in Kabul to “the operationally necessary, absolute minimum” due to the tense security situation in Afghanistan.

Heiko Maas told reporters on Friday that a “crisis support team” is immediately being sent to the Afghan capital to increase security at the embassy. He called on all German citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately, adding that planned charter flights would be brought forward to fly diplomats and local staff working for the embassy out of the country.

Maas said visas for Afghan will also be issued in Germany in future to speed up the process of getting people out of the country.

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BRUSSELS — NATO envoys were meeting Friday in Brussels to discuss developments in Afghanistan amid a rapidly deteriorating security situation in the wake of the relentless Taliban offensive there.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and 30 national ambassadors were taking part in the meeting in Brussels, according to a NATO official who spoke on condition of anonymity, in line with regulations.

“Allies are constantly consulting on the situation on Afghanistan,” the official said, adding that Stoltenberg was “in regular contact with allies and the Afghan authorities.”

“NATO is monitoring the security situation very closely. We continue to coordinate with the Afghan authorities and the rest of the international community,” the official said.

NATO took charge of international security operations in Afghanistan in 2003 – its first major mission outside Europe and North America – aiming to help stabilize the government, build up local security forces and remove a potential rear-base for militant groups.

The U.S.-led military alliance wound down combat operations in 2014 to focus on training Afghan security forces. The Afghan armed forces, with some 300,000 personnel, outnumber the Taliban by roughly four to one but have been unable to halt the insurgent offensive.

The Taliban have been emboldened by the Biden administration’s decision earlier this year to withdraw U.S. troops and to wind up the NATO training mission in Afghanistan. Most NATO troops have already left, with the remainder due to pull out by Aug. 31.

The NATO official said that the organization continues to have a “diplomatic presence in Kabul. As the security of our personnel is paramount, we will not go into any operational details.”

—Lorne Cook in Brussels