US evacuated about 3,000 from Kabul airport on Thursday

The United States evacuated about 3,000 people from Afghanistan's Kabul airport on Thursday, a White House official said.

"The United States evacuated approximately 3,000 people from Hamid Karzai International Airport on 16 C-17 flights," the official said in a media pool report on Friday, adding that nearly 350 were US citizens.

"Additional evacuees include family members of US citizens, Special Immigrant Visa applicants and their families, and vulnerable Afghans," the official said, for a tally of about 9,000 evacuated by the military since August 14.