KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Dozens of foreigners, including Americans, have left Kabul on an international commercial flight, marking the first large-scale evacuation since U.S and NATO forces left Afghanistan late last month.
Their departure on Thursday represented a breakthrough in the bumpy coordination between the U.S. and Afghanistan’s new Taliban leaders.
The Taliban have said they would let foreigners and Afghans with valid travel documents leave, but a days long standoff over charter planes at another airport had cast some doubt on Taliban assurances.
The Qatar Airways flight is heading to Doha.
A senior U.S. official said that Americans, green card holders and other nationalities including Germans, Hungarians and Canadians are on the flight.
Previous Story
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Dozens of foreigners, including Americans, boarded a commercial flight at Kabul airport on Thursday in the first large-scale evacuation since U.S and NATO forces left Afghanistan late last month.
Their departure marked a significant breakthrough in the bumpy coordination between the U.S. and Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers.
The Taliban have said they would let foreigners and Afghans with valid travel documents leave, but a days-long standoff over charter planes at another airport had cast some doubt on Taliban assurances.
Thursday’s Qatar Airways flight is heading to Doha.
Original Story
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Qatari officials say Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities will allow between 100 and 150 Americans to fly out from Kabul in the coming hours.
They will leave on the first commercial flight from the international airport since it shuttered after the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country.
A Qatar Airways flight that landed earlier Thursday in Kabul carrying humanitarian aid would ferry the Americans out of Afghanistan, marking the resumption of such flights after the U.S. finished its frantic airlift at the end of August.
`Mutlaq bin Majed al-Qahtani, a Qatari special envoy, said the flight would leave with Americans and Westerners.
