Posted on 09/09/2021 5:50:44 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
KABUL, Afghanistan — 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.
Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities will allow some 200 Westerners, including Americans, to fly out from Kabul in the coming hours, officials said Thursday, marking the airport’s first such flight since U.S. forces withdrew from the country.
The large group of foreigners would depart Thursday on a Qatar Airways flight that had earlier ferried humanitarian aid to the country, said Qatari special envoy Mutlaq bin Majed al-Qahtani, declaring it a “historic day.”
A senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief the media, provided the number of Westerners expected to board the flight and said that two very senior Taliban official helped facilitate the departure. The 200 includes Americans, green card holders and other nationalities, the official said.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Why am I getting the idea that we are trading millions of dollars for the equivalent of Bowe Bergdahls?
Blatantly self-contradictory statement in the FIRST SENTENCE of the article!
FAIL!
Regards,
bumblin' biden must have ordered talibanner's financial assets unfrozen.
Wonder how many $ millions we bribed them with.
Hang on tight!
I wouldn’t call a single flight of 200 people a “large-scale evacuation”.
“Wonder how many $ millions we bribed them with.”
Don’t think they are wanting for cash. They have USA munitions and vehicles to sell, Iran, Pakistan, China, Russia etc. Something else is in the making. IMO
Ransom money in, hostages out.
Schumer lies with such ease, with such dispassion. There is absolutely no question that Chuck Schumer is truly a vile human being.
Are these westerners that won’t eat a ham sandwich ABC don’t celebrate Christmas? And were born in Afghanistan? And go to Afghanistan on vacation for extended time? That kind a westerner?
Are The Californians on there?
Not sure any of the American passport holders are the equivalent of Bo Bergdahls, but there’s no doubt we are paying million$ for each person allowed to leave by the Taliban. Someone needs to ask how many pallets of cash each jet arriving in Kabul is carrying. This will make the Iran deal look like chump change.
I smell state department bulls#!t.
“The Taliban have said they would let foreigners and Afghans with valid travel documents leave,” “The 200 includes Americans, green card holders and other nationalities, “
I don’t see the contradiction.
Exactly right. Foreigners, green cards holders, and two “Americans” probably. In state department math, that makes the whole flight “American”.
Impossible! I read right here on the Interweb that the airport was MINED! /s
“Are these westerners that won’t eat a ham sandwich ABC don’t celebrate Christmas?”
You mean like Conservative or Orthodox Jews?
These are not the passengers from the planes that were grounded over the weekend - including the planes from The Nazarene Fund. Those passengers are in hiding thanks to the state dept turning over the passenger manifests to the Taliban. At least this report debunks the “less than 100 Americans in Afghanistan”.
“These are not the passengers from the planes that were grounded over the weekend “
You’re right - Unless some managed to get to Kabul.
Notice it says dozens of Americans, so you can’t really tell how many. I think there are Europeans on the flight, also. The Brits & Germans were particularly upset about leaving people behind.
Tomorrow, there’s supposed to be another similar flight out on Qatar Airlines from Kabul.
I hope all the people who worked at the U.S. embassy and VOA/RadioLiberty are getting out.
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