Pentagon officials are watching the Taliban's sweeping advances in Afghanistan "with deep concern" and are encouraging its Afghan partners to "step up" and defend their country amid the pullout of U.S. forces, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Sunday. With the Taliban claiming to have taken control of 85% of Afghanistan – a claim that U.S. government officials dispute – Kirby told "Fox News Sunday" anchor Chris Wallace that the Pentagon was "not unmindful" of the situation. "This is a time for them to step up and to do exactly that," Kirby said of their Afghan partners. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe U.S. pullout from Afghanistan comes after 20 years in the country – the U.S.’s longest-running war. During the 20-year period, American troops trained more than 300,000 Afghan military members and security forces to help them combat the threat of the Taliban.

Source: Fox News July 11, 2021 17:21 UTC