US says around 1,500 Americans remain in Afghanistan

US soldiers stand guard at the airport tower near an evacuation control checkpoint during ongoing evacuations at Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan (AP)

US secretary of state Antony Blinken said the administration believes about 1,500 American citizens remain in Afghanistan, 12 days into a massive US military airlift.

Mr Blinken said at a news conference that another 4,500 Americans have been evacuated in a US-run, round-the-clock operation since the Taliban reached the capital on August 14, completing a sudden rout of the US-backed Afghan government and military.