A senior U.S. State Department official revealed that the department plans to resume regular evacuation flights from Afghanistan before the end of the year to assist American citizens, residents, and some visa seekers in leaving the country. This effort will require coordination with the Taliban and other governments. The official stated that the State Department has not yet set a date for resuming evacuation flights as it is still working through arrangements with neighboring countries, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday.
The official explained that among the issues being addressed are travel documents, permission for flights over other countries, and procedures with the Taliban and foreign governments.
**Intensifying Charter Flights**
In the same context, the newspaper quoted a second senior State Department official as saying that the United States has been working to intensify charter flights, noting that over 200 American citizens and residents have left Afghanistan since August 31 on such flights. The official stated, "Our goal is to accelerate the pace of ongoing charter flights, and we are working closely with our partners to do so."
The official also pointed out that the State Department ultimately aims to operate several flights per week. He added that "until the airport is reopened, charter flights may have to be handled, as regular airlines will find it extremely difficult to pay the required insurance premiums or be willing to fly to Afghanistan."
It is worth noting that President Biden's administration has faced pressure from lawmakers, veterans, and other human rights advocates to do more to assist Afghans who were left behind.
**100,000 Afghans Airlifted**
The U.S. and its allies airlifted nearly 100,000 Afghans out of the country during a two-week operation in August following the Taliban's takeover, according to the Migration Studies Center, a nonprofit organization. State Department officials said that most special immigration visa applicants were left behind.
The Kabul International Airport remains closed to regular passenger flights, and it is still unclear who will manage air traffic control and ground operations. The small number of American citizens and thousands of Afghans who were left behind after the chaotic evacuation efforts in the last weeks of U.S. presence in Afghanistan may qualify for seats on U.S.-sponsored flights. The last U.S. troops departed on August 31, and since then, a small number of U.S. and Afghan flights and other foreign passport holders have left Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, while some individuals have crossed into Central Asian countries and Pakistan by land.
