US advise citizens to avoid Kabul airport, Pakistan suspends flight
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ISLAMABAD, Aug 21: The US on Saturday has advised Americans in Afghanistan to avoid travelling to Kabul airport due to “potential security threats,” on the day when senior Taliban leadership arrives in Kabul. The US Embassy in Afghanistan issued an advisory for its citizens in Afghanistan saying, “We are advising US citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a US government representative to do so.” The statement said that advice was issued “because of potential security threats,” however, the statement did not elaborate the nature of threats. “We will contact registered US citizens as the security situation changes to provide further instructions,” the statement added.
The advisory came at a time when hundreds of people including diplomats, foreign nationals and Afghans working for foreign forces waited near Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport trying to leave Afghanistan. Moreover, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has temporarily suspended its flight operation to Afghanistan due to unavailability of necessary facilities at Kabul airport. PIA spokesperson, Abdullah Hafeez in a statement to media said flight operation will remain closed for a couple of days. The spokesperson said we have talked with the Afghan Civil Aviation Authority to resume all required facilities at Kabul airport as soon as possible so that PIA could restore its flight operation. He said PIA has evacuated 1,500 people in five flights so far, adding that people who were evacuated from Kabul include journalists, UN officials and Pakistanis. Earlier, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmad Khan said Pakistan’s Embassy in Kabul arranged movement of over 250 people to Kabul airport with security. He said these included foreigners and Afghans working for the IMF and the Turkish nationals.(KUNA)
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