US helped family escape Afghanistan overland

WASHINGTON:

The United States is confirming for the first time that it has helped a US citizen and their family members to escape Afghanistan through an overland route to a neighbouring country.

A US official said on Monday that the citizen and their children “successfully departed Afghanistan using an overland route” and were met by US 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.

The evacuation is the first overland extraction the US government has confirmed since it ended its air evacuation effort last week with the final withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan.