Blinken says Taliban not blocking Americans from leaving Afghanistan airport

• 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