US confirms it helped four American citizens escape Afghanistan using an overland route to a neighboring country: State Department official said 'Taliban was aware'
The United States is confirming for the first time that it has helped a U.S. citizen and family members to escape Afghanistan through an overland route to a neighboring country.
A U.S. official says Monday that the citizen and the citizen´s children 'successfully departed Afghanistan using an overland route' and were met by U.S. Embassy staff at the border.
The official would not speak to details of the evacuation or to the country in which they arrived, citing security reasons and the need to preserve the viability of the route for possible future efforts.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid speaks during a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. The Taliban has not yet interfered in the evacuation of American citizens by the State Department since the military left the region on August 30, leaving 100 US citizens behind
The evacuation is the first overland extraction the U.S. government has confirmed since it ended its air evacuation effort last week with the final withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan.
The family were in a 'good condition' when they arrived at the border.
They were among an estimated 100 Americans left behind last week when the last US troops departed Kabul following a disastrous withdrawal from the region.
It's unclear if the family described by the US State Department official was the same family that Rep. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma had been working with.
He also said that a family he had been working with was successfully evacuated on Monday morning. That family consisted of a mother and her three children – all of whom are American citizens.
He named them in a thread on Twitter on Monday.
'A little over three weeks ago, I received an email from a friend asking if there was anything we could do to help a young lady named Mariam and her 3 small children (all American citizens) get out of Afghanistan.
Rep Markwayne Mullin helped get a woman and three kids out on Monday It's unclear if they are the same citizens the State Department was referring to
'Mariam had gone to visit her parents for the first time with the kids and became trapped in Kabul when the Taliban overran the city. We left two weeks ago today to get her, the children, and others out.
'We worked around the clock. But despite the many frustrating setbacks, the team I have been blessed to work with never gave up. Mariam and the kids have been through so much, literally looking death in the face multiple times, including again today, but they never gave up either.
'This morning at 05:32EDT they got out of Afghanistan. Praise the Lord!
'There are still many families like Mariam’s who are desperately wanting and waiting to get out. America cannot rest until we get them all home,' he said.
The Taliban knew about the State Department removing the family using an 'overground route' and did not 'impede' their journey, the official said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is now in Doha, where thousands of refugees were taken after being flown out of Afghanistan.