The Washington Post evacuated its Afghan employees, including journalists and their families, Tuesday from Kabul, Afghanistan.
The group was comprised of 13 people, including an American correspondent. They had originally went to the airport Sunday amid the initial chaos. There was concern that the group would not be able to board a flight due to Taliban checkpoints, according to The Washington Post.
Around 13 Washington Post Afghan employees, their families & a correspondent have been safely evacuated to Qatar. Many Afghans who worked with US journalists over the years remain. https://t.co/vTzV8s6eQj
— Liz Sly (@LizSly) August 17, 2021
The group boarded a U.S. military transport that was headed to Doha, Qatar, according to the outlet. The group was part of an even larger group of 204 individuals who worked in Afghanistan for other news organizations including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Publishers of these three news organizations issued a plea to President Joe Biden to help them get the group of journalists out of Kabul. “For the past 20 years, brave Afghan colleagues have worked tirelessly to help The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal share news and information from the region with the global public. Now those colleagues and their families are trapped in Kabul, their lives in peril,” the publishers wrote.
The statement asked for safe passage to the airport, and “facilitated air movement out of the country.” (RELATED: Biden’s National Security Advisor Refuses To Answer If Troops Will Leave Afghanistan Before Americans, Allies Are Evacuated)
Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan also sent an email to national security advisor Jake Sullivan looking for an evacuation flight. U.S. military officials eventually helped the group get out of the country.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Tuesday with the deputy prime minister of Qatar as well as the foreign ministers of Qatar and Kuwait about facilitating safe transport to Americans out of Afghanistan.
Members of Congress including Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton are also working to help stranded Americans get out of Afghanistan.