Nearly 30 more Americans evacuated from Afghanistan

Nearly 30 more Americans were evacuated from Afghanistan via a charter flight, the State Department announced Saturday.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement on Saturday that a Qatar Airways charter flight departed Kabul on Friday with 28 U.S. citizens and seven lawful permanent residents.

The announcement comes as the U.S. seeks to evacuate approximately 100 remaining American citizens who stayed in Afghanistan following the U.S.’s full withdrawal of troops on Aug. 31.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation, said on Twitter Friday that more Americans were able to leave on a Qatar Airways flight, but didn’t say how many were on the plane.

The administration hasn’t specified how many U.S. citizens are still looking to leave Afghanistan, but officials have said it is around 100.

The White House said on Sept. 10 that 21 American citizens were evacuated from Afghanistan. Nineteen of those citizens were evacuated on a Qatar Airways flight, and two additional citizens traveled an overland route along with 11 lawful permanent residents.

The day before, the administration said that 10 American citizens and 11 U.S. permanent residents were evacuated on a separate Qatar Airways flight.

The Biden administration has faced bipartisan criticism for its handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal as the country quickly fell to the Taliban.

Price said the U.S. is “grateful” to Qatari authorities who helped coordinate the flights, adding that the U.S. will “continue to help U.S. citizens and Afghans affiliated with the U.S. government to depart Afghanistan.”

“The international community welcomes the Taliban’s cooperation on these flights, and we will continue our engagement so that U.S. citizens and Afghans enjoy full freedom of movement,” Price said.