Biden administration to use commercial airlines to carry Afghan evacuees (updated)

American Aires

22/08/2021 14:07

(Adds details, bylines)
    By Idrees Ali
    WASHINGTON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's
administration said on Sunday that commercial aircraft would be
used to help ferry people who have been evacuated from
Afghanistan.
    The move highlights the difficulty the administration is
having in carrying out the evacuation of American citizens and
at-risk Afghans. 
    A Pentagon spokesman said the 18 aircraft, including from
United, American Airlines, and Delta, would not fly into Kabul
but would be used to transport people who have already been
flown out of Afghanistan.
    This would be only the third time the "Civil Reserve Air
Fleet" has been activated. The first time was during the Gulf
War in 1990 and then during the invasion of Iraq in 2002. 
    The first occurred in support of Operations Desert
Shield/Storm (Aug. 1990 to May 1991), and the second was for
Operation Iraqi Freedom (Feb. 2002 to June 2003).  
    The United States and other foreign countries including
Britain have brought in several thousand troops to manage the
evacuations of foreign citizens and vulnerable Afghans, but have
stayed away from the outside areas of the airport.
    U.S. officials told Reuters that Defense Secretary Lloyd
Austin weighed whether the move would have an impact on the
airlines' commercial operations. 
    "The (Defense) Department does not anticipate a major impact
to commercial flights from this activation," Pentagon spokesman
John Kirby said in a statement. 
    But limited numbers of aircraft is just one of the issues
facing the evacuation. Officials are frustrated with the slow
processing being conducted by the Department of Homeland
Security and State Department.
     There is also increasing concern about security in Kabul,
where roughly 5,800 troops are protecting the airport. 

 (Reporting By Idrees Ali; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and
Daniel Wallis)
 ((raissa.kasolowsky@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging:
raissa.kasolowsky.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))