US evacuation flights from Afghanistan to resume before year's end: report

WASHINGTON

The US will resume evacuating its citizens and some visa applicants from Afghanistan before the end of the year, according to a report.

The Wall Street Journal said Wednesday that the agency plans to carry out several flights weekly and centralize evacuation efforts through Qatar, citing a senior State Department official.

"As soon as we have the right combination of documentation and logistics, we will get going again," the official told the Journal.

The news came days after a US delegation held “candid and professional” discussions with the Taliban in Qatar.

The interagency delegation met with senior Taliban representatives in Doha on Saturday and Sunday -- their first meeting since the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in August.

“The US delegation focused on security and terrorism concerns and safe passage for US citizens, other foreign nationals and our Afghan partners, as well as on human rights, including the meaningful participation of women and girls in all aspects of Afghan society,” said the State Department.

The Taliban regained control of Kabul on Aug. 15 after the previous Western-backed administration collapsed and its officials fled the war-torn country.

The takeover ahead of the US' full withdrawal by Aug. 31 sent shockwaves across the country, prompting thousands of Afghans to flee with limited US flights.

The US airlifted 123,000 people out of the country, including 6,000 Americans.

The Taliban previously ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, when US-led foreign forces invaded in search of al-Qaeda and other militant groups.