New York: Taliban prevented around 1000 people including dozens of Americans and Afghanistan holding a visa to the US or other countries, from leaving Afghanistan, US media reports said on Sunday.
Some planes are waiting for permission for departure from the group, the New York Times (NYT) reported and added that detention was caused by ongoing negotiations between the US and the Taliban.
This happened when the United States completed the withdrawal last week, after the takeover of the Taliban fast Kabul, following an attack that saw falling rapidly Afghan government forces.
US media reports said aircraft trapped in Afghanistan at this time was not loaded and passengers were detained nearby because the Taliban would not allow them in the airport.
A Pentagon official who is related to the evacuation operation said the reason Taliban wanted to prevent these people from leaving the possibility because they intended to punish them for their cooperation with the US with the US.
If the Taliban really used people as bargaining chips, former Senior Pentagon Mick Mulroy said that “it is not acceptable.” Meanwhile, the Senior Republic at US Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul told Fox News that the Taliban had blocked Americans on six aircraft at the Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport so as not to demand from the US.
“The country has cleared this flight, and the Taliban will not let them leave the airport,” said Mr.
McCaul, adding that he believed in the problem “turned into a hostage situation.” McCaul said the Taliban wanted “something in exchange” to approve taking off the plane and that they were looking for “full recognition of the United States.” Last Friday, US Secretary, Antony Blinken said that the United States was in “continuous contact” with Americans left in Afghanistan who still wanted to leave the country.
“Our new team in Doha, Qatar is running, we are in constant contact with Americans who remain in Afghanistan, and want to go …
We have assigned the management team for the same thing,” said Blinken Days after withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
Blinken said that the US would “continue to maintain communication channels with the Taliban about problems such as his commitment to let people leave Afghanistan if they chose to do it.”