U.S. faces snags in bid to speed up at-risk Afghan evacuations

FILE PHOTO: Afghan evacuee children participate in social and emotional art initiatives run by Mural Arts after arriving at the Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 25, 2021. REUTERS/Hannah Beier

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A lack of flights and the search for a new U.S. reception center are among the hurdles facing the White House as it races to speed up the evacuation of at-risk Afghans from their homeland, according to a senior U.S. official and others familiar with the new plan.

Other obstacles include difficulties in obtaining passports and an affordable housing shortage in the United States, they said.