State Department, Then Taliban, Reportedly Blocking Private Rescue Planes From Departing Afghanistan

Several reports began to trickle in over the weekend about planes stuck in Afghanistan which are trying to evacuate stranded Americans and Afghan allies.

While a ‘senior Congressional source’ told CBS News on Sunday that ‘the Taliban won’t let them leave,’ several new sources have come forward to blame the Biden State Department for preventing the flights from leaving earlier in the weekend.

According to Fox News and former Trump admin official Emily Miller – both of whom have been in direct contact with Americans involved in a private rescue effort – including leader Rick Clay – the Biden administration put up red-tape roadblocks.

“The State Department is the sole entity preventing their charter flights from leaving Afghanistan,” one of the rescuers told Fox.

America: right now there is a private effort to get a plane of US citizens and allies out of Afghanistan. They need @SecBlinken to help get clearance to land in a nearby country.

Biden’s State Department is refusing to actively assist.

Their response: “just tell them to ask.”

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) September 2, 2021

“This is zero place to be negotiating with American lives. Those are our people standing on the tarmac and all it takes is a f****ing phone call,” one of the rescuers told Fox News. “If one life is lost as a result of this, the blood is on the White House’s hands. The blood is on their hands,” that individual said, adding: “It is not the Taliban that is holding this up – as much as it sickens me to say that – it is the United States government.” 

That individual suggested that the State Department’s obstruction is motivated in part by embarrassment that private individuals are rescuing Americans that the U.S. government left behind. 

Military command over Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, have informed those seeking clearance to land that they must first go through the State Department to gain approval, an email reviewed by Fox News shows. 

Clay has a manifest of 4,500 names of U.S. citizens, green card holders, SIVs and refugees trying to get state-side. So far, they’ve given the State Department 800 names for a first round of flights. Fox News has reviewed that manifest, which confirms Clay’s account.

…

Clay told Fox News that his organization is “having problems getting permission” from the Biden State Department “to land on the return flight” from Afghanistan in a neighboring country. –Fox News

According to Clay, the State Department “is not allowing any private charters carrying refugees [to] land anywhere” in nearby countries, and has provided several “excuses” as to why – including a supposed lack of air traffic controllers and ‘radar issues.’

“We still have Americans we can get out,” he added.

The State Department, meanwhile, showed CBS News an email which allegedly says the flights out of Afghanistan can leave “if and when the Taliban agrees to takeoff.”

Early Friday morn @RealClearNews was reporting on these 6 planes with American CITIZENS and Afghan allies waiting for State Dept clearance and now being blocked by the Taliban — @StateDept was telling me they had nothing to do with preventing them from taking off – that is wrong https://t.co/Etn0cu9xgA

— Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) September 5, 2021

“The Taliban is basically holding them hostage to get more out of the Americans,” a senior congressional source told CBS News. 3/

— Ruffini (@EenaRuffini) September 5, 2021

Former Trump admin official Emily Miller, who first reported the stranded rescue effort on Thursday, has been keeping a running blog of her direct communications with several individuals involved who are on the ground in Afghanistan, as well as provided a page with information for people who want to leave Afghanistan.

The 6 planes are still on the tarmac at Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport, per “Sam”, who is the only source that has been accurate throughout this saga on the planes. #ProjectExodus Sam explains why…

— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) September 6, 2021

On Saturday, Miller wrote: “Sam in Project Exodus still says the planes aren’t leaving because the airline hasn’t gotten documents from the State Department for destination airfield. “I’ve been told things are stalled,” he texted me tonight.”

There is no way they are not letting these people leave. They have no reason to detain them (other than money and negotiating leverage).

With there already being internal fighting between Taliban leadership, Afghanistan bankrupt, inflation 80%, people starving; etc.; TB know they need legitimization and foreign aid. They are savages but they are not stupid.

Here are the latest updates via Emily Posts News:

Six planes Sunday — Status update from Sam, who is the only source that has been accurate throughout this saga!

KAMAir is still grounded. I’m first on the list to call as soon as things get moving – so I’m told. I haven’t seen the news, so I’m not sure what’s being put out or if it’s helping/hurting.

Nobody is actually sitting on the planes right now.

I don’t have facts as to why the Taliban are delaying, but I’ve been told they want to verify manifests and don’t have the horse power to do so.

My guess is they are coordinating with Turkey to help them run tower operations to activate the runway.

Again, I’m drawing that conclusion by stitching several different sources together. As soon a people start getting up here, I’ll dig some more

Six airplanes in the news— Today, the media elite finally decided to publicly report about the six charter planes and Americans that can’t get out of Afghanistan. I reported it first on Sept. 2 at 2:30 pm ET.

The corporate media knew about the planes — at least since I reported it. They asked the White House and State Department about it. They were told information to keep “confidential”, and they obeyed the government.

I spoke to the State Department Spokesman directly. His “confidential” information was not being withheld for safety of the people in the airport. It just shows that the government was incapable of getting Americans out of the country. The media elite withheld that from the public for that reason only.

There are 6 aircraft in Afghanistan with American citizens onboard that have been sitting on the ground for 36 hours because the @StateDept won’t authorize them to take off with the citizens.

The rest of the thread is text from retired SFO in UAE, part of #ProjectExodus

— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) September 2, 2021

Money- Toward the end of last week, people in Afghanistan who need to escape started running out of cash. Today, Mark went to Western Union to send $350 to one of the Afghan Special Forces who he has worked with for years. Western Union told him that, as of today, it is no longer authorized to send any wire transfers to Afghanistan.

It costs just $200 for airline ticket to fly his whole family to fly within the country to a safer city. But the Afghanistan military stopped paying its forces two months ago so they don’t have cash.

Also, the banks in Afghanistan put a limit on ATM withdrawals to just $200 a week.

Big picture— I went on a twitterant today because I’m so frustrated with the incompetence and lies from the U. S. Government. Click below to read the thread.

One week ago, I got this email from retired special forces operator (who is now a friend and partner). I didn’t believe him.
Our government abandoned American citizens and longtime allies in Afghanistan to be killed by Taliban?
Yes, and nothing has changed. (1/?) https://t.co/cPjQjeneum

— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) September 5, 2021

Follow along at Emily Posts News.