The U.S. is evacuating a “significant” number of employees from its embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, as Taliban forces gain ground across the country.

The State Department announced it is reducing its civilian footprint of roughly 4,000 personnel to a “core diplomatic presence” given the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.

“Our embassy remains open and our diplomatic mission will endure”, - State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.

The department released a statement that the U.S. secretaries of State and Defense spoke by phone with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday and told him the U.S. “remains invested in the security and stability of Afghanistan in the face of violence by the Taliban”.