The US State Department spokesman said the “invitation” process will take time.
New Delhi:
With desperate crowds seeking to flee Afghanistan showing no signs of thinning at the Kabul airport, the US government, which still controls the facility, has today asked people not to go there unless specifically instructed to do so.
In a video released by the US State Department, a spokesperson asked people crowding the airport area in the conflict-ridden capital to leave if they do not have a “verified invitation.”
“If you do not have a verified invitation, you will not be allowed at the airport or on an evacuation flight. If you do not have approval for a flight, you must leave the airport area immediately,” the spokesperson said. in the short video.
“For your safety, the safety of your family and others, please do not come to the airport without a verified invitation at this time… Please note, however, that this process will take additional days.”
Who should come to Hamid Karzai International Airport?https://t.co/KSCS8gLSI9pic.twitter.com/lUQjRdNcEa
— US Embassy Kabul (@USEmbassyKabul) August 23, 2021
The official said instructions have been given to those with ties to the US government who want to leave.
“If you are a U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident of the U.S., an immigrant visa applicant, or affiliated with the U.S. government or have been specifically instructed to travel to the Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA), please follow the instructions you have been given,” he said.
“Additional US partners will be instructed on next steps…Do not come to HKIA until you have been contacted.”
Thousands of people, including Afghans and Indians, have been crowding HKIA in search of a flight from Afghanistan, even since Taliban terrorists took control of the country a few days ago.