"In the coming weeks, in order to facilitate this reduction, the Department of Defense will temporarily deploy additional personnel to Hamid Karzai International Airport," State department spokesperson Ned Price told a news conference. "We will start that reduction in civilian personnel in the coming days," he added. US forces had already been withdrawing for the war-torn country in recent months. "It is not a full evacuation. Right now the embassy remains open, we will continue to have a diplomatic presence on the ground," Price said.