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Afghans eligible to be evacuated were prevented from entering Kabul airport because some Taliban fighters couldn't read their documents, report says

Aug 20, 2021, 15:57 IST
Business Insider
Men stand behind barbed wire fencing at the Kabul airport. SHAKIB RAHMANI/AFP via Getty
  • The Taliban have put checkpoints around Kabul airport, creating chaos for those eligible to leave.
  • Some fighters can't read the documents of those who have papers letting them leave, the AP reported.
  • Biden's national security advisor warned getting Americans out is a "risky operation."
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Afghans who helped other governments and are eligible to be evacuated out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan are struggling to leave the airport because some fighters can't read their paperwork, the Associated Press reported.

The Taliban have formed checkpoints around the airport in Kabul, potentially blocking foreign nationals as well as Afghans who have the visas and other paperwork from reaching their evacuation flights.

The issue has been made worse by some Taliban fighters not being able to read their documents, the AP reported.

The Taliban have said that they won't block the passage of Americans and eligible Afghans from leaving the country but many reports have contradicted their claims.

Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden's national security advisor, warned on Thursday that getting Americans out of the country was a "risky operation" and that "we can't count on anything."

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Biden told ABC News on Wednesday that the US wants to evacuate up to 15,000 Americans currently in Afghanistan, and 50,000 to 65,000 Afghans and their families.

Many have been desperate to flee, leading to chaotic scenes at the airport where people tried to force their way out of plans and even clung to the outside of a moving US Air Force jet.

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