Major news outlets call for Biden's 'unequivocal' support of journalists reporting in Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the government

• Leaders at major news organizations called on the US government to support their journalists in Afghanistan.
• Publishers at The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post signed the letter.
• Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, fell to Taliban forces Sunday after the former Afghan president fled the nation.

Leaders at major news organizations are calling on President Joe Biden to support and protect journalists reporting on the ground in Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the government.

The open letter, written by publishers of The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, is seeking an "unequivocal signal" that the Biden administration will "stand behind the free press."

"For the past twenty years, brave Afghan colleagues have worked tirelessly to help The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal share news and information from the region with the global public," they wrote. "Now, those colleagues and their families are trapped in Kabul, their lives in peril."

The letter was signed by Frederick J. Ryan, Jr., publisher and chief executive officer of The Post, Almar Latour of The Journal, and AG Sulzberger of The Times.

They asked that the US government facilitate the journalists' "protected access" to a US-controlled airport in the country, grant them safe passage to the airport, and facilitate "air movement out of the country."

On Sunday, Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, fell to Taliban forces, marking the first time the group regained control in the country in 20 years. Taliban insurgents stormed the presidential palace, and former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the nation over the weekend.

President Joe Biden delivered his first remarks on the situation during a Monday address, blaming Afhgan political leadership for the government's collapse to insurgent forces.

"I will not repeat the mistakes we've made in the past," he said.

"We have made it clear to the Taliban: if they attack our personnel, or disrupt our operation, the US presence will be swift and the response will be swift and forceful," Biden continued in his address.