DHS Not Allowing Charter Flight Carrying Americans, Evacuees From Afghanistan to Land in U.S.
Refugees from Afghanistan are escorted to a waiting bus after arriving and being processed at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia on August 23, 2021. - Washington on August 22, 2021 said major airlines will help to evacuate tens of thousands of its citizens, those of other nations and Afghans, as chaos continues around Kabul airport a week after the Taliban seized control.Some 17,000 people have been evacuated by the US since August 14 but tens of thousands more remain in need of rescue for America alone. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

The Department of Homeland Security has prohibited charter flights from landing in the U.S. The said flight was carrying more than 100 Americans, U.S. green card holders, and evacuees from Afghanistan.

Bryan Stern said that DHS will not allow a charter on an international flight into a U.S. port of entry, according to an NBC News report.

Stern is the founder of the non-profit group Project Dynamo.

Stern said that he had been sitting for 14 hours at Abu Dhabi airport after landing from Kabul. He added that the flight had 117 passengers, including 59 children.

Stern was among the group of U.S. military veterans, current and former officials, and others to create an evacuation operation for those who were left in Afghanistan.

Embassy staff in the UAE has been checking the accuracy of the passengers that were in the charter flight, according to a State Department spokesperson.

The spokesperson added that the DHS is coordinating with the embassy staff to ensure passengers are screened and vetted before allowing them to land in the U.S., according to a Reuters report.

The spokesperson added that they expect passengers to continue their travel tomorrow morning.

Stern said that DHS had identified to authorities at the Abu Dhabi airport one person among the evacuees as "a problem." However, he did not know whether it was the reason behind the landing rights being denied.

A DHS spokesperson said in a statement that all U.S.-bound charter flights should adhere to the protocols that were established before being cleared for departure, according to The Hill report.

U.S. President Joe Biden has earlier said that it remains their top priority to get Americans and green card holders out of Afghanistan.

Americans Stuck in Afghanistan

U.S. officials noted that about 100 Americans and legal permanent residents are still stuck in Afghanistan, which is now under the control of the Taliban.

However, veteran-led groups involved in the evacuation operation say that they believe the number may be more than 100 U.S. citizens left behind in the country, according to a Daily Mail report.

Afghan Rescue Crew member, Jean Marie Thrower, said that the true number of stranded Americans could be around 400 to 500.

Thrower added that many do not want to leave the country without bringing Afghani relatives and orphaned Afghan children they have adopted.

She said that they should be taken to a refugee camp and have them vetted, but they should not be left behind.

When the U.S. left Afghanistan, about 124,000 people were airlifted out of Kabul. Officials struggled to provide an estimate of how many Americans and permanent residents were unable to leave.

About 5,500 Americans were counted in the 124,000 people that left after the immediate collapse of the country with the Taliban taking the reins.

The Taliban had started to show their tactics when they hanged dead bodies last week, alleging the dead bodies to be part of a kidnapping plot.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: First passenger flight departs Afghanistan since US withdrawal - from Al Jazeera English