The Latest: Blinken pushes Taliban to allow evac flights out

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is pressing the Taliban to allow charter flights carrying would-be evacuees to leave Mazar-e-Sharif

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is pressing the Taliban to allow charter flights carrying would-be evacuees to leave Mazar-e-Sharif. Blinken said Wednesday that the Taliban aren’t permitting the flights’ departure because they claim that some of the passengers don’t have the required documentation. He added: “While there are limits to what we can do without personnel on the ground, without an airport with normal security and procedures in place, we are working to do everything in our power to support those flights and to get them off the ground.” He said those efforts include working with advocates and lawmakers to help coordinate their efforts and offer guidance, and helping to arrange landing rights and liaise with other countries in the region on overflights.