Uganda Welcomes First Group of Afghan Refugees

A flight carrying Afghan evacuees fleeing the Taliban takeover of their country touched down early Wednesday in Uganda where they will be given temporary refuge, government officials said.

The foreign ministry said a charter flight carrying 51 Afghans -- including men, women and children -- landed in the lakeside city of Entebbe, where they were whisked to hotels in a convoy of buses. More evacuees from Afghanistan are expected to arrive at a later time in Uganda from the war-torn country, the ministry said. It said it followed a request from the US government to temporarily host "at-risk" Afghan nationals and others who are in transit to the United States and other destinations worldwide.