LIVE: German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas gives statement to discuss Afghanistan (ORIGINAL)

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is holding a statement in Berlin on Monday, August 16, to discuss the current situation in Afghanistan. The move comes following the entry into the city of Taliban forces on Sunday. Earlier on Monday German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany will need to rescue over 10,000 people from Afghanistan. The rescued include German national, Afghan support staff as well as human rights activists, lawyers and others who could be at risk. Insurgents had earlier secured Jalalabad reportedly without a fight, cutting off Kabul and the roads connecting Afghanistan to Pakistan. In the previous days, the Taliban gained control of two of Afghanistan’s biggest cities, Kandahar and Herat. Mazar-i-Sharif, one of Afghanistan’s economic hubs and the fourth biggest city, fell to the insurgents on Saturday. The recent Taliban offensive follows the US and other NATO forces’ ongoing withdrawal from the country.