US lowers flag on its embassy in Kabul

The United States lowered the flag on its embassy in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and has relocated staff to the airport, where US forces are taking over air traffic control, officials said Sunday night, according to AFP.

"We are completing a series of steps to secure the Hamid Karzai International Airport to enable the safe departure of US and allied personnel from Afghanistan via civilian and military flights," the Pentagon and State Department said in a joint statement quoted by the news agency.