Pentagon: More than 150 Afghan pilots who fled to Tajikistan to be evacuated

SANAA, Nov. 10 (YPA) – The Pentagon said  that it would evacuate more than 150 US-trained Afghan pilots who fled to Tajikistan after the fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban last August.

According to the Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby, the US embassy in Tajikistan was “speeding up the departure” of a group of about 191 people, including pilots.

“We expect them to be able to leave Tajikistan soon… We are not in control of the timetable and the information must be obtained by the Foreign Office,” he added

Reuters reported that a group was about to leave on a flight arranged by the US government, noting that Afghans had waited a day at Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe airport because of flight delays.

Hundreds of Afghan pilots fled their country in the days following Taliban control and the withdrawal of US troops nearly three months ago.

E.M