Taliban stop evacuation planes from leaving Afghanistan

TIL Desk/World/Kabul/ The Taliban are preventing around 1000 people including dozens of American citizens and Afghans holding visas to the United States or other countries, from leaving Afghanistan, US media reports said on Sunday.

Multiple planes are waiting for clearance for the departure from the group, A report added that the holdup is caused due to ongoing negotiations between the US and Taliban. This comes as the United States completed its withdrawal last week, after the Taliban’s swift takeover of Kabul, following an offensive that saw the rapid fall of the Afghan government forces.

US media reports say, the planes stuck in Afghanistan are not currently loaded and the passengers are being held nearby as the Taliban won’t let them inside the airport.

A Pentagon official concerned with evacuation operations said the reason the Taliban wants to prevent these people from leaving is likely because they intend to punish them for their cooperation with the US.

If the Taliban really are using people as a bargaining chip, former senior Pentagon Mick Mulroy said that “is unacceptable.”