U.S. lawmaker urges Blinken to clear private evacuation flights out of Afghanistan

FILE PHOTO: A commercial airplane is seen at the Hamid Karzai International Airport a day after U.S troops withdrawal in Kabul, Afghanistan August 31, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Representative Mike Waltz has called on the State Department to work with non-governmental organizations that he said are trying to clear charter flights to evacuate Americans and at-risk allies still hiding in several Afghan cities.

In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday, the Republican lawmaker and former White House official said he had been told by several NGOs that there were manifested charter flights "available, funded, and ready to fly" people out.