The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) said on Tuesday that the priority in Afghanistan is to evacuate as many people as possible, including NATO personnel and locals who have helped the organization as well as people in vulnerable situations.

"What we have seen in the last few weeks was a military and political collapse at a speed which had not been anticipated ... It was a surprise, the speed of collapse, and how swiftly that happened," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told a press conference. 

Stoltenberg said NATO should make an honest assessment of what led to the "swift and sudden" collapse of the Afghan government and armed forces against the Taliban.

Several countries, including the United States and its Western allies, have been scrambling to evacuate diplomats and civilians since the Taliban's advances last week, with troops being sent to assist the effort. 

The Taliban told Washington that it will provide safe passage for civilians to reach the airport in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday.

(With input from Xinhua and Reuters)