There are still at least 363 American citizens remaining in Afghanistan, about half of whom want to leave the country, the State Department reportedly told congressional staff Thursday.
One hundred and seventy-six of those citizens are trying to get out of the country, two sources said according to CNN. When the U.S. military completed its evacuation from Kabul, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was a “small number” of Americans still trying to leave, totaling less than 200 and “likely closer to 100.”
The State Department told the Daily Caller Thursday that “at least 129 U.S. citizens” have been helped out of the country by the department since the U.S. completed it’s military withdrawal, suggesting Blinken’s estimate of “closer to 100” was substantially undercounting the number of Americans trying to leave. (RELATED: Biden Admin Now Says It Will Get Around To Flying Americans Out Of Afghanistan By The End Of The Year)
However, Thursday evening, State Department Spokesman Ned Price tweeted that an even higher number, 234 citizens and 144 legal permanent residents, had left Afghanistan since Aug. 31.
Another Qatar Airways flight arrived in Doha on Oct 20 with U.S. citizens and LPRs on-board. The United States has facilitated the departure of 234 U.S. citizens and 144 LPRs from Kabul since August 31. Our efforts continue and we will provide updates as they are available.
— Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) October 22, 2021
In addition to the American citizens in the country, thousands of Afghan civilians who assisted the U.S. war effort since 2001 remain in the country after President Joe Biden assured them the U.S. would aid in their departure.