Pres. Joe Biden's Administration Praises Taliban Days Before 9/11 Anniversary, Says Militant Group Is a "Professional" in Dealings
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration had reportedly praised the Taliban days before the 9/11 anniversary on its 20th year.
The Biden administration had called the Taliban leadership as "professional and businesslike," according to The Daily Wire report.
National Security Council Spokesperson Emily Horney had released a statement on Qatar Airways Charter Flight.
Horney said on the statement the Taliban have been cooperative in facilitating the departure of Americans citizens and lawful permanent residents. The statement added that the militant group has shown "flexibility, and have been businesslike and professional" in the dealings with them in this effort.
It went on to say that they will not be sharing details of the efforts before people are safely out of the country as there is an ongoing terrorist threat.
Meanwhile, reports of the Taliban not allowing charter flights to leave have been circulating, including remarks from Rep. Michael McCaul.
Taliban Refusing Charter Planes to Leave
Congressional and NGO sources said that the Taliban is denying charter planes the permission to leave the country. Multiple planes were carrying American citizens and green card holders, according to a CBS News report.
A senior congressional source said that the Taliban is holding the said passengers hostage to get more out of the Americans. Three other sources confirmed that there were Americans in the area waiting to evacuate through charter flights.
Meanwhile, the State Department had advised members of Congress to tell groups wanting to evacuate out of Mazar-i-Sharif that the federal government does not have personnel on the ground of the airport.
The State Department added that it does not have air assets in the country and control of the airspace.
McCaul noted that there were six airplanes at the airport carrying American citizens.
State Department Blocking Flights
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had denied reports that the Taliban had blocked Americans attempting to fly out. Blinken said that the government had identified a "relatively" small number of Americans wanting to fly out from Mazar-i-Sharif, according to a Reuters report.
The department secretary also claimed that the Taliban were upholding their promise to allow Americans with valid travel documents to leave the country. He said that they are not aware of anyone being held on an aircraft or any hostage-like situation.
In a September 1 email to attorney Eric Montalvo, the State Department has said that the agency will not provide approval on charter flights, according to a New York Post report.
However, they noted in the email that they will provide a "no objection" to the destination country government through the U.S. Embassy in the country.
Montalvo is a former Marine and has organized a series of evacuation flights for people wanting to fly out of Afghanistan.
The email of the State Department to Montalvo also warned him that no charters are allowed to land in most countries in the Middle Eastern region. The September 1 email also said that Montalvo needs to find another destination country, adding that it cannot be the U.S. either.
This article is owned by Latin Post
Written by: Mary Webber
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