Acting US ambassador did not flee Afghanistan before withdrawal

"The acting US Ambassador to Afghanistan fled the country last weekend," says the August 16, 2021 tweet, which has been retweeted more than 7,000 times.

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Screenshot of a tweet, taken on August 17, 2021

The tweet was also shared as a screenshot on Facebook here and here after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in mid-August.

Wilson rejected the claim on Twitter, saying: "Contrary to false reports, @USEmbassyKabul staff & I remain in #Kabul working hard to help 1000s of U.S. citizens and vulnerable Afghans & continuing engagement here. Our commitment to the Afghan people endures."

And State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on August 16 that Wilson was still in the country, something he reiterated the following day.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken only announced the suspension of the US diplomatic mission in Kabul weeks later, when the military departed.

"As of today, we have suspended our diplomatic presence in Kabul and transferred our operations to Doha, Qatar. For the time being, we will use this post in Doha to manage our diplomacy with Afghanistan," Blinken tweeted on August 30.

The United States' longest military conflict drew to a close when the last of its forces departed that day from Kabul's airport, where they had overseen a frenzied airlift that saw more than 120,000 people flee.

AFP Fact Check has debunked other claims about Afghanistan here.