Taliban agreed to allow ‘safe passage’ to airport, US says

Washington has a channel with Taliban to ‘resolve issues’ around access to airport, says Jake Sullivan

The Taliban has told the US administration that it will allow a “safe passage” to the airport in Kabul, which remains under the control of American forces, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday. Sullivan confirmed that the Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) is now operational, and flights evacuating Americans and Afghan civilians are under way after a pause on the operation on Monday following chaotic scenes of people looking to flee the country. “The Taliban have informed us that they are prepared to provide a safe passage of civilians to the airport, and we intend to hold them to that commitment,” he said.