<p>Germany is slashing staff levels at its embassy in Kabul to an "absolute minimum", Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Friday as Taliban militants advance on the Afghan capital.</p>.<p>Maas told reporters the evacuation would be carried out "in the coming days" following similar moves by the US and Britain.</p>.<p>"We will send a crisis support team to Kabul to help us boost security precautions" during the withdrawal, Maas said, adding that the embassy would "remain able to function".</p>.<p>Maas said he had spoken overnight about the steps with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ahead of a crisis cell meeting at his ministry early on Friday.</p>.<p>"We have been preparing for weeks for this situation we are now confronted with," he said.</p>.<p>The German minister said that already scheduled charter flights would be moved forward to take both German embassy staff "as well as local staff who are still in Afghanistan" to Germany.</p>.<p>The ministry earlier on Friday estimated its staff levels at the Kabul embassy in the "high double digits".</p>.<p><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/al-qaeda-will-probably-come-back-uk-defence-minister-on-afghanistan-crisis-1019422.html" target="_blank">Al-Qaeda will probably come back: UK defence minister on Afghanistan crisis</a></strong></p>.<p>Maas said that the Afghan personnel would be issued visas on their arrival in Germany "to accelerate their departure".</p>.<p>He renewed a call made on Thursday by his ministry for all German citizens still in Afghanistan to leave the country immediately.</p>.<p>"We will coordinate all further measures with our international partners in the coming days," he said.</p>.<p>The evacuation orders by NATO allies came as the Taliban took control of Kandahar -- Afghanistan's second-biggest city -- in the insurgency's heartland, leaving only Kabul and pockets of other territories in government hands.</p>.<p>The first wave of the offensive was launched in early May after the United States and its partners all but withdrew their forces from Afghanistan, with President Joe Biden determined to end two decades of war by September 11.</p>.<p>NATO envoys were holding an urgent meeting on Friday afternoon about the deteriorating situation, diplomatic and official sources told AFP.</p>
<p>Germany is slashing staff levels at its embassy in Kabul to an "absolute minimum", Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Friday as Taliban militants advance on the Afghan capital.</p>.<p>Maas told reporters the evacuation would be carried out "in the coming days" following similar moves by the US and Britain.</p>.<p>"We will send a crisis support team to Kabul to help us boost security precautions" during the withdrawal, Maas said, adding that the embassy would "remain able to function".</p>.<p>Maas said he had spoken overnight about the steps with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ahead of a crisis cell meeting at his ministry early on Friday.</p>.<p>"We have been preparing for weeks for this situation we are now confronted with," he said.</p>.<p>The German minister said that already scheduled charter flights would be moved forward to take both German embassy staff "as well as local staff who are still in Afghanistan" to Germany.</p>.<p>The ministry earlier on Friday estimated its staff levels at the Kabul embassy in the "high double digits".</p>.<p><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/al-qaeda-will-probably-come-back-uk-defence-minister-on-afghanistan-crisis-1019422.html" target="_blank">Al-Qaeda will probably come back: UK defence minister on Afghanistan crisis</a></strong></p>.<p>Maas said that the Afghan personnel would be issued visas on their arrival in Germany "to accelerate their departure".</p>.<p>He renewed a call made on Thursday by his ministry for all German citizens still in Afghanistan to leave the country immediately.</p>.<p>"We will coordinate all further measures with our international partners in the coming days," he said.</p>.<p>The evacuation orders by NATO allies came as the Taliban took control of Kandahar -- Afghanistan's second-biggest city -- in the insurgency's heartland, leaving only Kabul and pockets of other territories in government hands.</p>.<p>The first wave of the offensive was launched in early May after the United States and its partners all but withdrew their forces from Afghanistan, with President Joe Biden determined to end two decades of war by September 11.</p>.<p>NATO envoys were holding an urgent meeting on Friday afternoon about the deteriorating situation, diplomatic and official sources told AFP.</p>