WASHINGTON — The Pentagon reiterated Wednesday that it continues to "monitor the situation in Afghanistan closely," saying "we are mindful of the deteriorating security situation."

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters in a briefing "our focus right now remains on supporting the Afghan forces in the field where and when feasible we can from the air, as well as completing our drawdown in a safe and orderly way."

"We are on track to do that by the end of the month," he affirmed. "Our focus is on getting this drawdown done in a safe and orderly way."

He continued "We are also remaining focused on the future bilateral relationship with Afghan forces, that'll be largely in a financial way and an over-the-horizon support, as well as making sure that we maintain the capabilities we need to protect the homeland from any terrorist threats that might be emanating from Afghanistan in an over-the-horizon fashion."

Taliban continued their offensive in Afghanistan taking over a ninth provincial capital on Wednesday as government forces fought off attacks on Maimana in the northern Faryab province and Tirinkot in the central Uruzgan province.

Kirby said the United States believed Afghan security forces had the capability to fight the insurgent group. "These are their military forces, these are their provincial capitals, their people to defend and it's really going to come down to the leadership that they're willing to exude here at this particular moment," Kirby said.

US airstrikes are helping to blunt Taliban advances across Afghanistan, although Pentagon officials warn American air power alone will not be enough to push back the insurgent offensive.

For weeks, the United States has been launching "over-the-horizon" strikes from its Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and from its carrier strike group in the Arabian Gulf, hitting Taliban targets with a heavy mix of AC-130 gunships and MQ-9 Reaper drones.

"We have every confidence that those strikes are hitting what we're aiming at and are having an effect on the Taliban," Kirby told reporters Tuesday, saying additional strikes have been carried out "in just the last several days."

Kirby acknowledged US airstrikes alone would not be enough to hold Taliban fighters at bay. "Nobody is suggesting, nobody has suggested here at the Pentagon that airstrikes are a panacea that will solve all the problems, all of the conditions on the ground," he said.

"What we have said is that the Afghan forces have the capability, they have the capacity, they have a numerical advantage," Kirby added. "It's really going to come down to the leadership and the will to use those capabilities."

At the White House on Tuesday, President Joe Biden echoed that call. "They've got to want to fight," he told reporters, adding there will be no reconsideration of the US decision to complete its military withdrawal by Aug. 31.

"We spent over a trillion dollars over 20 years. We trained and equipped with modern equipment over 300,000 Afghan forces," Biden said. "They outnumber the Taliban. They have to fight for themselves, fight for their nation," he added. — Agencies