Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed on Wednesday that the Taliban are not allowing charter flights to leave out of Afghanistan.
“As of now, the Taliban are not permitting the charter flights to depart,” Blinken said. “They claim that some of the passengers do not have the required documentation.”
“While there are limits to what we can do without personnel on the ground, without an airport with normal security procedures in place, we are working to do everything in our power to support those flights and to get them off the ground,” he continued, later adding, “we will continue to press the Taliban to allow the charters to leave.”
WATCH:
Biden Secretary of State Antony Blinken: “The Taliban are not permitting the charter flights to depart.”
These flights include American citizens. pic.twitter.com/HbJVMAsFHt
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 8, 2021
Blinken’s remarks come as hundreds of Americans, and even more green card holders and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants, remain stranded in Afghanistan after the Biden administration pulled out U.S. troops from the country.
Democrat President Joe Biden claimed during an interview with ABC News host George Stephanopoulos back in August that U.S. troops would remain on the ground in Afghanistan until all Americans had been evacuated:
STEPHANOPOULOS: All troops are supposed to be out by August 31st. Even if Americans and our Afghan allies are still trying to get out, they’re gonna leave?
BIDEN: We’re gonna do everything in our power to get all Americans out and our allies out.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Does that mean troops will stay beyond August 31st if necessary?
BIDEN: It depends on where we are and whether we can get– ramp these numbers up to 5,000 to 7,000 a day coming out. If that’s the case, we’ll be– they’ll all be out.
STEPHANOPOULOS: ‘Cause we’ve got, like, 10,000 to 15,000 Americans in the country right now, right? And are you committed to making sure that the troops stay until every American who wants to be out–
BIDEN: Yes.
STEPHANOPOULOS: — is out?
BIDEN: Yes.
WATCH:
STEPHANOPOULOS: Are you committed to making sure that the troops stay until every American who wants to be out is out?
BIDEN: Yes. … if there’s American citizens left, we’re going to stay until we get them all out.pic.twitter.com/OgOowoNIES
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) August 18, 2021