Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaking in Doha, Qatar, on Sept. 7. Photo: Olivier Douliery/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday denied reports that the Taliban is preventing Americans from flying out of Afghanistan from the Mazar-e-Sharif airport, according to Reuters.
Why it matters: The Taliban has been preventing the departure of at least four chartered evacuation flights from the airport for multiple days for unknown reasons.
- An unnamed Afghan official at the Mazar-e-Sharif airport told AP on Sunday that the would-be passengers are Afghans who don't have passports or visas and thus were unable to leave the country.
What they're saying: Blinken said the Taliban has blocked multiple flights from the northern airport because some aboard lacked valid travel documents.
- "And my understanding is that the Taliban has not denied exit to anyone holding a valid document, but they have said those without valid documents, at this point, can't leave," Blinken said at a news conference in Qatar, according to Reuters.
- Blinken said the Taliban were so far allowing Americans with valid travel documents to leave the country and that the Biden administration has identified a "relatively" small number of Americans who are trying to leave Afghanistan through the Mazar-e-Sharif airport.
The big picture: The Taliban said on Monday it had "conquered" Panjshir province, Afghanistan's last holdout of resistance against the country's new rule.
- Opposition fighters, primarily members of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, disputed the claim but called for a cease-fire.
Go deeper: What the Taliban victory means for Afghanistan's neighbors