WASHINGTON, 14 August 2021, (TON): The US embassy in Kabul has directed its personnel to destroy sensitive materials "which could be misused in propaganda efforts."

The notice comes as the US decided to dramatically scale down its embassy in Kabul and send about 3,000 troops temporarily to aid the evacuation of staff amid rapid military gains by the Taliban.

Intelligence assessment indicates that Kabul could be isolated by Taliban within a week, possibly within the next 72 hours.

The notice said facilities would provide "destruction support" daily and called on personnel to "take advantage and reduce the amount of sensitive material on the property," including papers and electronics.

It said "please also include items with embassy or agency logos, American flags, or items which could be misused in propaganda efforts.”

The US State Department said that this was part of the standard procedure applied when minimising the US footprint.

A government official confirmed that Kandahar, the economic hub of the south, was under Taliban control.