Afghanistan Crisis
Stranded Americans Denied Permission To Leave Afghanistan
Reportedly, the Taliban is refusing to allow flights carrying stranded Americans and green cardholders. According to multiple sources, multiple planes ready to ferry stranded Americans out of the country have yet to receive permission to leave.
RELATED: Biden’s Promise Broken, Americans Still Stranded in Kabul
Flights To Resume If and When The Taliban Agrees
A State Department email shown by CBS News said that Qatar will approve evacuation flights out of Afghanistan “if and when the Taliban agrees”. The news agency also quotes a congressional source as saying that “the Taliban is basically holding them hostage to get more out of the Americans.”
Ascend, a non-governmental organization that teaches women leadership through sports shared their frustration. The group chartered two planes to fly out between 600 to 1,200 stranded Americans, green card holders, and refugees.
However, the planes still remain at the airport spent six days getting ready for takeoff. They have yet to receive clearance to fly out. A report said that the Ascend planes remain unloaded and idle.
Their passengers are staying at hotels nearby. According to a senior congressional source, the Taliban won't allow them into the airport.
Taliban Holding People Hostage
Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX) is a ranking Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Earlier, he said during an interview that the Taliban is basically holding people who want to get out hostages. “Since we pulled out, how many Afghan allies have gotten out since the Taliban was in complete control of the country?”
Fox News anchor Chris Wallace asked. McCaul said “Zero. And, in fact, we have six airplanes at Mazar Sharif Airport, six airplanes with American citizens on them as I speak, also with these interpreters, and the Taliban is holding them hostage for demands right now.
They — we — [the] state has cleared these flights and the Taliban will not let them leave the airport. So, I’m sorry, the answer to your question is zero. And that’s my concern is they’re going to demand more and more, whether it be cash or legitimacy as the government of Afghanistan,” he said.
Taliban Demands Acceptance As Official Afghan Government
Wallace asked McCaul about the demands the Taliban is supposedly asking for. “Well, they are not — they are not clearing the airplanes to depart. They’ve sat at the airport for the last couple of days, these planes, and they’re not allowed to leave,” McCaul replied.
“We know the reason why is because the Taliban want something in exchange. This is really, Chris, turning into a hostage situation where they’re not going to allow American citizens to leave until they get full recognition from the United States of America.
My concern is that Zalmay Khalilzad, [our] special envoy who’s met with the Taliban, they’re in talks right now, and I think — I worry his recommendation to the administration will be to recognize the Taliban as the official government of the United States, a Taliban organization that is a terrorist organization.”
Some Afghan Passengers Have No Papers
Meanwhile, an Afghan official claimed that some of the passengers were Afghans without visas or passports. This is a major reason the flights continue to get delayed.
The unnamed official said that the passengers left the airport while officials sorted things out and are now staying at nearby hotels. He insisted that the lack of the right travel papers prevented the flights from leaving.
None of the Afghan families had passports or visas. All claimed to work for companies allied with the US or German military.
Watch the NBC News video reporting that President Joe Biden is facing criticism over Americans, Afghans left behind In evacuation:
Loading ...What do you think will happen to stranded Americans and other passengers who couldn’t get out of Afghanistan? In addition, what should the US government do?
Let us know what you think about the situation. Share your comments below.
14 Comments
For those of you who love to read books …”” The Looming Tower”” by Lawrence Wright … it describes Al-Qaeda and the Taliban and how they came to power and also Osama bin Laden …. and what it’s like to live in Afghanistan in the Middle East … it’s a Brutal and powerful book ..it describes all the major players all of bin Laden’s cronies and how he came to power the bombings the executions a very Well written …story
Poor leadership at all levels of government led to this fiasco! This was, even more, worse when we left Saigon in Camron bay! one big difference, we left equipment but it was at the bottom of the waters in the bay!
The withdrawal from Afghanistan will go down in history as the worst ever made by President Biden, the military and the C.I.A. the President, the Vice President the tpp military personal and the Director of the C.I.A should resign or be relieved of their positions immediately. A special election should be held to elect a new President and Vice President. These extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.
Mr. Bennett:
There is no reason to have a new election when the revelations of the stolen election are finally brought to light. The only questions will be the appropriate punishment for those who brought about the fraud and how to provide President Trump a full term to sort out the debacle that biden has brought about.
I remember the Carter year’s…this s is far worse than that by far. Maybe the biden’s posing in the picture with the Carter’s early on in biden’s presidency days, something or someone was trying to tell us all something! We have a little over another 3 years of this type of government telling us all what is best for the USA… history is not done with us folks! Batten down the hatches, it’s going to be even furthermore a bumpy ride!
Trade Biden and Harris,Pelosi,Shummer,Sorrus,for the Americans,bring them home.
Who didn’t see this coming, I mean … who outside of this administration?
Totally agree. And once there, leave them stranded like they did to them.
Get our Americans out how ever possible then drop an atomic bomb on the country and wipe it off the face of the Earth and say “GOOD RIDENS!!!!” I shudder to think that Biden is bowing down to these animals and kissing their asses…
I believe we should follow what President Trump put in place with the Taliban and they should honor his Agreement with them.
we should sent in our troops and get all american out befor it is to late to get out and sent president over to take there place
I didn’t even know why OUR government left all of the equipment over there. The American men and women should have left bombs in all vehicles, planes, helicopters and tanks. To be blown by the top military enlisted to press the button to blow them when they know that the Chinese are in their to take for their own to see how the American made vehicles were made and wipe out as many Chinese military as they can, and or Taliban terrorists as they possibly can.
Most of these comments are by illiterate folks, bless your poor, confused, enraged minds. The BILLIONAIRES are using their platforms to get regular Americans AT EACH OTHER’S THROATS to keep us from seeing THEIR LIES and OUR ENSLAVEMENT.
When THEY own the INFORMATION they can BEND IT all they want.
I bet nobody here understands that Constitutionally, TRUMP would be HANGED for SEDITION for leading an ARMED, FATAL, ATTEMPTED COUP.
BIDEN just ripped off the BandAid to END this ENDLESS ENDLESSNESS and STOP FEEDING the voracious appetite of the MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
How many folks out there ever thought that our president would leave (in his words) 10% of the Americans who want to leave Afghanistan — for the Taliban to practice their beheading skills?