Rep. Michael McCaul said on Sunday that the Taliban is keeping "hostage" American citizens and Afghan translators trying to flee Afghanistan while talks with the U.S. administration are ongoing.
Six Airplanes Still at Mazar-i-Sharif Airport
In a recently published article in The Hill, six aircraft carrying American people and Afghan friends are stranded at an airfield in Afghanistan, Rep. Michael McCaul claimed on Sunday, and the Taliban are "holding them hostage for demands."
The planes have been at Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport in northern Afghanistan for the past couple of days, according to McCaul, the senior Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Despite State Department permission, the planes have been unable to depart.
Meanwhile, there were series of reports claiming that multiple flights are being detained by the Taliban on the ground at the Afghanistan airport after McCaul's interview. The State Department informed members of Congress in an email that the charter aircraft had permission to land in Doha "if and when the Taliban agrees to takeoff," according to a report published in USA Today.
Demands of the Taliban
When Wallace pushed McCaul on the Taliban's demands, he claimed the situation is "generating into a hostage scenario." He said that aircraft are not being cleared to leave. The Taliban have been camped up at the airport for the last several days, preventing these aircraft from departing.
He also added they know why it's happening, the Taliban want something in return. The scenario is deteriorating into a hostage situation, with no American citizens being allowed to leave until they get full recognition from the United States of America, according to a published article in MSN News.
Members of Congress were also informed by the State Department that the United States does not have personnel on the ground in Mazar-i-Sharif and does not control the airspace. The U.S. does not have any controls anymore since its full withdrawal on Tuesday.
Number of Planes and People Unable to Leave the Airport
Officials told a news outlet on Sunday that at least four planes chartered to evacuate hundreds of people fleeing the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan have been unable to leave the country for days, with conflicting accounts emerging about why the flights were unable to take off as pressure mounts on the US to help those left behind flee.
According to Ascend, a nonprofit group that works with Afghan women, two aircraft have been waiting for six days to leave with between 600 and 1,200 passengers on board, including 19 American citizens and two permanent residents, according to a report published in AZ Central.
Meanwhile, the would-be passengers, according to an Afghan official at Mazar-i-airport, Sharif's were Afghans, many of whom did not have passports or visas and therefore were unable to leave the country. He said that they had left the airport while the issue was being resolved.
It was four aircraft, according to the Afghan official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. Their intended passengers were staying in hotels while officials sorted out whether they would be allowed to exit the country. The issue, he said, was that many people did not have the proper travel documents.
