US Works to Evacuate Americans, Afghans at Kabul Airport
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The U.S. military is evacuating American citizens and Afghans from Afghanistan as people flee the country following the government's collapse and Taliban takeover. A Pentagon spokesperson said U.S. military planes can evacuate 5,000 to 9,000 people per day from the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. Thousands are trying to escape the country at the airport, creating chaos and confusion; meanwhile, reports are circulating of Taliban fighters complicating airport access and violently breaking up demonstrations. The U.S.' self-imposed deadline to evacuate Americans from Afghanistan is Aug. 31; the White House said Thursday that U.S. troops may stay longer than that to continue evacuations if there are still Americans in the country.
The evacuations are a top story across the political spectrum. Many reports focused on potential danger and consequences some Afghans face if they don't escape, especially women, children and people who worked with the Afghan government or the U.S. military. Others highlighted reports that U.S. aircraft weren't leaving Kabul at full capacity this week, and framed the evacuation operation as falling short.
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Evacuees Won’t Be Charged for Flights From Kabul, State Dept Says Amid Confusion
U.S. citizens evacuated from Afghanistan by the United States will not be charged for repatriation flights, the State Department clarified, amid reports that some were asked to pay $2,000 or more.
“In these unique circumstances, we have no intention of seeking any reimbursement from those fleeing Afghanistan,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told several media outlets on Thursday.
The U.S. embassy in Afghanistan had previously said it would seek reimbursement for the cost of evacuation flights from those seeking evacuation assistance once they were safely out of the country.
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Diplomats urged State Department to begin evacuations out of Afghanistan last month
WASHINGTON — Last month, two dozen diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, warned about the possibility of a Taliban takeover and urged the State Department to begin an airlift operation in a dissent cable sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to a source familiar with the situation.
The July 13 cable called on Washington to be firm and direct in describing atrocities by the Taliban, the source said. NBC News has not seen the cable.
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US struggles to speed Kabul airlift despite Taliban, chaos 
The United States is struggling to pick up the pace of American and Afghan evacuations at Kabul airport, constrained by obstacles ranging from armed Taliban checkpoints to paperwork problems. With an Aug. 31 deadline looming, tens of thousands remained to be airlifted from the chaotic country.
Taliban fighters and their checkpoints ringed the airport — major barriers for Afghans who fear that their past work with Westerners makes them prime targets for retribution. Hundreds of Afghans who lacked any papers or clearance for evacuation also congregated outside the airport, adding to...
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