"No," Kirby firmly answered the question of whether Austin was planning to leave his post.
On August 15, the Taliban* seized control of Kabul after overrunning the rest of the country in 11 days as the majority of US forces withdrew, while the Afghan Army simply surrendered and internationally recognised Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country for the United Arab Emirates.
The Taliban takeover has forced thousands of Afghans to seek escape from the country for fear of reprisals from the militants.
With the political collapse and the ongoing evacuation of the remaining US personnel, questions are swirling about whether 20 years of war, the deployment of 775,000 troops, 2,300 deaths, 20,589 wounded in action and a $2.4 trillion price tag was worth it.
*The Taliban is a terrorist group banned in Russia.