About 100 US citizens, permanent residents still waiting to leave Afghanistan
About 100 US citizens, permanent residents still waiting to leave Afghanistan
Around 100 US citizens and legal permanent residents are waiting to leave Afghanistan, as the State Department says it is working on getting them flown out
2 min read
There are US citizens still waiting to leave Afghanistan [Getty]
The is aware of about 100 American citizens and legal permanent residents (LPRs) who remain in and are ready to leave the country, a senior State Department official said on Monday.
The State Department was working to get those people on out of Afghanistan, said the official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.
"Our highest priority in Afghanistan, of course, remains to help those American citizens who wish to leave the country now to do so," the official said.
About 124,000 people were airlifted out of Kabul after the US-backed government there collapsed last month and the Taliban took control.
Since USforces departed and handed over the airport on August31, 85 American citizens and 79 LPRs have left Afghanistan on sporadic flights, according to the official.
However, some American citizens did not want to leave Afghanistan without family members who did not have the required travel documents to enter the United States, the official said.
The United States would soon intensify efforts to help the immediate family members of American citizens who did not have the needed documentation, the official said, but would not do so for their “extended" families, which could include a large number of people.
“I entirely understand how painful that choice may be for them, but for matters of law and policy, up to this point, we have not extended support for expedited departure and resettlement in the U.S. for extended family members of UScitizens,” the official said.
(Reuters)
