U.S. Orders Commercial Airlines to Join Mass Afghanistan Evacuation

The Pentagon on Sunday ordered a string of American commercial airlines to join its chaotic evacuation of tens of thousands of Afghans and foreigners fleeing Kabul after its fall to Taliban terrorists.

AFP reports Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin activated the little-used Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) to move people arriving at U.S. bases in the Middle East.

“The DOD’s ability to project military forces is inextricably linked to commercial industry, which provides critical transportation capacity as well as global networks to meet day-to-day and contingency requirements,” a statement announcing the move said.

Eighteen civilian craft from American Airlines, Atlas, Delta, Omni, Hawaiian and United will aid dozens of military cargo transports involved in the evacuation, the statement said.

The civilian planes would not be allowed to fly to and from the beseiged Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul; instead, they would transport the thousands of Aericans and Afghan allies in airbases in Qatar, Bahrain, and Germany onwards in their journeys. – READ MORE