Afghanistan Crisis: First Civilian Flight Leaves Kabul After US Withdrawal

Dozens of foreigners, including Americans, have left Kabul on an international commercial flight, marking the first large-scale evacuation since US and NATO forces left Afghanistan late last month. Their departure on Thursday represented a breakthrough in the bumpy coordination between the US and Afghanistan’s new Taliban leaders.

The Taliban have said they would let foreigners and Afghans with valid travel documents leave, but a dayslong standoff over charter planes at another airport had cast some doubt on Taliban assurances. The Qatar Airways flight is heading to Doha. A senior US official said that Americans, green card holders and other nationalities including Germans, Hungarians and Canadians are on the flight.

Some 200 foreigners, including Americans, boarded the international commercial flight from Kabul airport. A dayslong stand-off over charter planes at another airport had left dozens of passengers stranded and cast doubt on Taliban assurances to allow foreigners and Afghans with proper travel documents to leave the country.

A senior US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorised to brief the media, provided the number of Westerners on board and said that two very senior Taliban officials had helped facilitate the departure.

Americans, green card holders and other nationalities including Germans, Hungarians and Canadians were on the flight, the official said.