Pentagon Spox Kirby: We’ve Made Clear to Taliban ‘What the Credentials Look Like’ and Who We Want to Get Through Checkpoints

On Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Rachel Maddow Show,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said that during communications with the Taliban, “we have been making it clear to them what the credentials look like, who we want to see get through their checkpoints, who are absolutely entitled to get on these flights.” And that while there has been some “violent harassment of some qualified individuals, by and large, these American citizens and these special immigrant visa applicants are being able to work through those checkpoints.”

Kirby said, “We are in constant, daily communication with Taliban leaders who are outside the airport, and we have been making it clear to them what the credentials look like, who we want to see get through their checkpoints, who are absolutely entitled to get on these flights. And thusfar, though there have been certainly cases of harassment and even violent harassment of some qualified individuals, by and large, these American citizens and these special immigrant visa applicants are being able to work through those checkpoints. We are also in communication with the Taliban about making it easier for the safe — a more safe perimeter around the field so that there are fewer crowds. Because crowds have also been an impediment, not from a violence perspective, just from a dense perspective. So, we’re working with them to try to make sure that there is enough access around the airport for people to get in more freely. And we are working every day, our commanders on the ground are pursuing opportunities to make access and passage to the field easier and safer for Americans and these SIV applicants.”

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