More than 100 Americans and holders of US green cards who were evacuated from Afghanistan by a non-profit organization will fly to the United States on Thursday after first being denied landing rights in the United States by the US Department of Homeland Security. The charter flight carrying 28 American citizens, 83 green card holders and six people with Special Immigrant Visas granted to Afghans who worked for the US government in Afghanistan had been grounded after landing in Abu Dhabi.
US officials were working on Wednesday to verify the list of the plane’s passengers and to screen and vet the passengers before allowing them to leave for the United States, the State Department told Reuters. One of the evacuees reportedly was removed from the plane and will not be permitted to enter the US.
The evacuation was arranged by the non-profit organization Project Dynamo. The plane was chartered from Kam Air, a private Afghan airline.