With the official withdrawal of all U.S. troops in Afghanistan and the closure of the Kabul embassy, there are no U.S. officials remaining in the now Taliban-controlled nation to complete the required applications for leaving the country. Blinken tells reporters it was his "understanding" that the "Taliban has not denied exit to anyone holding a valid document, but they have said those without valid documents, at this point, can't leave.
Blinken says established procedures require an in-person exit interview, but since there are no U.S. personnel left at the embassy, the interviews cannot be conducted. Therefore, uncleared individuals can't leave and since those people are on the same planes as some who have been cleared, nobody can leave.
Red tape is red tape, no matter how many lives are at stake.
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