First US evacuation flight since November leaves Afghanistan

By Kylie Atwood and Oren Liebermann, CNN

A flight chartered by the US government left Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, marking the first evacuation departure since November, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

An unknown number of Americans were on board the plane, which was a Qatar Airways flight paid for by the US government, the sources said. A defense official also confirmed the flight, which was first reported by NBC, to CNN.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The departure comes the same day UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Afghanistan is “hanging on by a thread” and called for more humanitarian support for the country.

Earlier this month, CNN reported that there were about 80 Americans still in Afghanistan who wanted to leave the country.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at the time that there were a few dozen US citizens and their families who had identified themselves as prepared to depart with the necessary travel documents.

He also said there were 150 US citizens in Afghanistan who did not wish to leave.

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