'Positive first step': Commercial flight takes 200 foreigners out of Kabul 

With the cooperation of the Taliban, an estimated 200 foreigners left Afghanistan on a commercial flight out of Kabul on Thursday. This was the first large-scale evacuation since US forces withdrew from the country on August 31.

An estimated 200 foreigners, including Americans, left Afghanistan on a commercial flight out of Kabul on Thursday with the cooperation of the Taliban — the first such large-scale departure since US forces completed their frantic withdrawal over a week ago. We can confirm that, of the 39 we invited, 10 U.S. citizens and 11 Lawful Permanent Residents were on-board the Qatar Airways charter flight out of Kabul today. This is another concrete demonstration of our commitment to assist those to whom we have a special commitment. The Qatar Airways flight to Doha marked a breakthrough in the bumpy coordination between the US and Afghanistan’s new rulers. A standoff over charter planes at another airport has left hundreds of mostly Afghan people stranded, waiting for Taliban permission to leave.