Flight takes off from Kabul airport after Taliban cleared Americans and others to leave

A commercial flight took off from Kabul airport on Thursday for the first time since the Taliban seized Afghanistan, hours after the militants cleared a group of Americans and other foreign nationals to leave the country.

It is unclear at this stage whether or how many Americans were on board the Qatar Airways flight, reported earlier to be bound for Doha, or the nationalities of the other passengers.

A US official and a source with knowledge of the matter had earlier said the Taliban had cleared around 200 people, including American citizens, to fly out.

Live pictures showed people boarding the flight on Thursday afternoon Kabul time; earlier, Qatari and Taliban officials were seen touring the airport tarmac, where the Qatar Airways Boeing 777 stood.

Several passengers waiting to check into the flight earlier said their final destination was Canada. "We are going to Canada, we are Canadians," one man told an Al Jazeera Arabic reporter at the airport in English. Another two men also said they were bound for Canada.