US working to get several Americans out of Afghanistan

Published March 24, 2023
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill March 23, 2023 in Washington, DC. — AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill March 23, 2023 in Washington, DC. — AFP

WASHINGTON: The United States is working to assist 44 Americans who want to leave Afghanistan and several others detained by Taliban authorities, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.

Blinken was speaking before Congress where lawmakers from the rival Republican Party went on the offensive over the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan and demanded the release of an internal dissent cable at the State Department.

Blinken, in response to a question, said that Taliban authorities were detaining “several Americans.”

“We are working to secure their freedom. Their families have asked that we protect their identities and don’t speak publicly to their cases,” Blinken said.

The United States, despite poor relations with the Taliban rulers, has worked quietly to assist US citizens who wish to leave. Blinken said that the State Department has assisted around 975 US citizens in leaving since the Taliban takeover and that about 175 self-described Americans remain in the country, including some who arrived since the US withdrawal.

“Forty-four of them are ready to leave and we are working to effectuate their departure,” Blinken said.

A State Department spokesperson later said that the 975 were only Americans whose travel was facilitated by the government and that other US citizens and permanent residents have left independently.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

IMF scrutiny
Updated 11 Feb, 2025

IMF scrutiny

Strengthening foundations of the economic superstructure will help make the economy competitive and boost growth.
Shadow voices
11 Feb, 2025

Shadow voices

OVER the weekend, another ‘open letter’ addressed to the army chief and attributed to former prime minister ...
Paradise at a premium
11 Feb, 2025

Paradise at a premium

PAKISTAN’S recent triumph at the New York Travel and Adventure Show 2025, winning the Best Partner Pavilion Award,...
A positive note
Updated 10 Feb, 2025

A positive note

With govt unable to press growth accelerator without upending fragile recovery, sufferings of low-middle-income households are unlikely to disappear soon.
Justice for all
10 Feb, 2025

Justice for all

ALONG with his domestic agenda, Donald Trump is busy ripping to shreds the post-World War II ‘rules-based...
Held back
10 Feb, 2025

Held back

IT is a crying shame how women are conspicuously absent from Pakistan’s civil services. Despite comprising half ...