President Biden has defended the American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan even as the Taliban take over whole swathes of the country - and has blamed predecessor Donald Trump for a deal that left the warlords 'in the strongest position militarily since 2001'.

He also announced that he was increasing the number of US troops being deployed to protect the withdrawal from the US embassy to 5,000. 

Around 1,000 service members are already on the ground and 3,000 more were already being sent next week, before officials announced the deployment of an extra 1,000 as the situation escalated Saturday.  

The US Embassy in Afghanistan will be evacuated in 72 hours under the protection of the military, and some staffers have already arrived at the Kabul international airport, according to reports.  

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Saturday to discuss the 'urgency of ongoing diplomatic and political efforts to reduce the violence,' the State Department said in a statement. 

'The Secretary emphasized the United States' commitment to a strong diplomatic and security relationship with the Government of Afghanistan and our continuing support for the people of Afghanistan.'   

The president has been slammed by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for the 'complete mismanagement' of the Afghanistan withdrawal, with US defense officials warning it could be just a matter of a couple days before the Taliban seizes control of Kabul, a city with more than four million people.