{"id":55974,"date":"2021-08-13T20:21:04","date_gmt":"2021-08-13T20:21:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/08\/13\/kabul-may-not-be-a-combat-mission-in-name-but-its-certainly-dangerous\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:53:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:53:11","slug":"kabul-may-not-be-a-combat-mission-in-name-but-its-certainly-dangerous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/08\/13\/kabul-may-not-be-a-combat-mission-in-name-but-its-certainly-dangerous\/","title":{"rendered":"Kabul may not be a combat mission in name, but it\u2019s certainly dangerous"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Elements of two Marine Corps infantry battalions tasked with securing Kabul<\/a> for civilian evacuations<\/a> are already on the ground, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Friday. By the end of the weekend will be joined by an Army battalion to complete an eventual total surge of 3,000 troops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Defense Department is calling it a \u201ctemporary\u201d and \u201cnarrowly defined\u201d security mission, focused on protection of personnel, but as more major Afghan cities fall to the Taliban<\/a>, it\u2019s a question of when \u2015 not whether \u2015 the Taliban will make their stand in the country\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re certainly going into harm\u2019s way … and they will have the right of self-defense,\u201d Kirby told reporters. \u201cIf there is an attack upon our forces, our commanders have now, and have always had, the right and responsibility to defend themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The infantry battalions will be receiving imminent danger pay<\/a>, an extra $225 per month for deployments in which hostile fire or mine explosions are a likelihood, DoD confirmed to Military Times. They\u2019ll also have no taxes withheld from their paychecks while in Kabul, and neither will the BCT in Kuwait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responding to questions of why this mission is labeled \u201csecurity\u201d and not \u201ccombat,\u201d Kirby rejected the semantics debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNobody\u2019s walking away from the fact that this is potentially dangerous,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re all mindful of the perilous situation in Afghanistan, and the deteriorating security situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distinction is small, but important. Combat deployments are generally characterized by patrols outside the wire, high-value target captures and other shows of force.<\/p>\n\n\n\t