Second Qatar Airways plane arrives in Kabul after 200 passengers left Thursday
A second Qatar Airways plane arrived in Kabul on Friday following the evacuation of 200 passengers on Thursday, CNN reported.
Aid was seen being unloaded from the plane Friday morning after it landed on the tarmac, the news outlet reported, which noted that the plane was seen on Qatari-owned Al Jazeera Television.
It was unclear if passengers would be allowed to board the flight, according to CNN.
The Hill has reached out to the White House and State Department for comment.
Friday’s plane comes after a flight carrying roughly 200 people were able to depart Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International on Thursday in route to Qatar.
While the Biden administration didn’t give any details on who exactly was on the flight, The Washington Post reported that about 200 Afghan dual nationals, including roughly 30 Americans, were able to leave.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Thursday that more than 30 American citizens were invited to be on the flight, but not all of them decided to leave for “different reasons.”
“Some wanted more time to consider it. Others wanted to remain with extended family, at least for the time being. Others cited medical issues, among other reasons that we heard,” Price said, adding that the U.S. would continue inviting Americans and others to depart Afghanistan if they choose to do so.
The flights come as the U.S. seeks to evacuate any American citizens who are still in Afghanistan following the chaotic withdrawal of troops from the nation.
Over 6,000 American citizens and lawful residents have been brought home thus far, National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement Thursday.
White House chief of staff Ron Klain told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that around 100 Americans were still waiting to be evacuated.
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