Taliban Allows 200 People to Fly Out of Afghanistan

By Teddy Grant Published: September 9, 2021

Taliban Allows 200 People to Fly Out of Afghanistan

Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. Two suicide bombers and gunmen have targeted crowds massing near the Kabul airport, in the waning days of a massive airlift that has drawn thousands of people seeking to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Wali Sabawoon)

In Summary

The Taliban will be allowing around 200 people, including U.S. citizens, to leave Afghanistan on Thursday on a flight headed to Qatar, multiple outlets reported.

U.S. officials had been working with the Taliban to get additional people out of the country. It is unknown how many Americans are expected to be on the flight, CNN reported.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesperson, told NBC News that they would not block anyone from leaving the country as long as they have the proper documents to travel.

The U.S. was not able to evacuate all Americans and at-risk Afghans before the Aug. 31 deadline. Around 124,000 people were evacuated out of the country.

Thousands of civilians attempted to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country. This followed the U.S’ decision to leave the country after 20 years and trillions of dollars spent in the longest war in American history.

In the days leading up to the end of the U.S. occupation of the country, 13 military service members were killed in a suicide bombing outside Kabul’s airport.

“We will not forgive you. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay,” President Joe Biden said in a statement following the attack. “I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command.”