Exclusive-Detained Afghan pilots fly out of Tajikistan on U.S.-brokered flight

FILE PHOTO: A pregnant U.S.-trained Afghan pilot, who is being held in Tajikistan, asked that her face and name be concealed due to security concerns, poses for a photo on October 5, 2021. REUTERS/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S.-trained Afghan pilots and other personnel boarded a U.S.-brokered flight out of Tajikistan on Tuesday, ending a nearly three-month detention ordeal that began when they escaped there in their aircraft during the Taliban takeover, Afghan sources said.

The plight of the pilots had attracted U.S. congressional scrutiny - with lawmakers and military veterans frustrated by what they believed was a sluggish U.S. relocation effort.