The Taliban reportedly won't let planes leave Afghanistan until 'they get more out of the Americans'

The Taliban is preventing multiple flights from taking off from the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, CBS News reports.

The White House and State Department have maintained that they hold leverage over the Taliban, which will ensure the group cooperates and continues to allow people to leave Afghanistan, but a senior congressional source told CBS News that the Taliban is basically holding the planes "hostage" so they can "get more out of the Americans."

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Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.), the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, agrees. He told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday that he's concerned that U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad will come away from the talks recommending that the Biden administration acknowledge the Taliban as the legitimate government in Afghanistan. There are no indications that will be the case, however.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.