'US working on charter flights for its citizens stranded in Afghanistan': Antony Blinken

Days after the United States ended its military involvement in Afghanistan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said that the state department is in touch with the Taliban to facilitate additional charter flights from Kabul for American citizens stranded in Afghanistan who still wish to leave the country. According to The Associated Press, Blinken made the statement while speaking at a joint press conference with Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani in Doha. Stating further, Blinken stated that around 100 American citizens are still stranded in Afghanistan, who are in hopes to leave the country. He further went on to say that the US continues to maintain channels of communication with the Taliban on its commitment to allow people to leave the war-torn country if they wish to, reported The AP.

Blinken and US Defense Secretary visit Qatar

It should be noted here that Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are on their visit to Qatar to thank the Gulf Arab country for providing crucial help in evacuating thousands of people from Afghanistan after the Taliban's stunning takeover on August 15, reported The AP. Qatar has also hosted the Taliban's political office for over 8 years and Doha is currently a state leading the Afghanistan diplomatic operations as several Afghans that worked with NATO and US forces await a transfer to the US and other nations. Earlier on Friday, September 3, Blinken had said that the US is still monitoring the situation by being in "constant touch" with American citizens stranded in Afghanistan. He had also said at this time of crisis, helping Afghans is the topmost priority for the United States. Speaking of Taliban, he had said, United States expects "inclusivity" and a government that "makes good on commitments that the Taliban have made," especially regarding freedom of travel.

US ends the 20-year-long war in Kabul

On Monday, 30 August, the US announced the completion of its massive evacuation operations in Afghanistan. President Biden said that the US completed one of the biggest airlifts in history, evacuating over 120,000 people to safety. The last American soldier- Major General Chris Donahue boarded a US C-17 aircraft on August 30, marking the end of a 20-year-long US mission in Kabul. Meanwhile, the United Nations resumed humanitarian flights on Friday, September 3, to deliver relief supplies to Afghanistan. In a media briefing, UN spokesperson Stefan Dujarrik had said that although the Afghan capital Kabul is still inaccessible by air, efforts are on to strengthen the humanitarian operations by increasing the number of flights as soon as possible.

(With agency inputs)

Image Credits: AP