Biden admin may compel civilian airlines to carry Afghan evacuees: Officials

Evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. Credit: AFP Photo

President Joe Biden's administration has told US airlines they could be ordered to help ferry people who have been evacuated from Afghanistan, two officials told Reuters on Saturday.

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One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a "warning order" was issued to carriers on Friday telling the companies they could be used, but no decision had been made. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The official said the civilian aircraft would not fly into Afghanistan, but would instead ferry evacuees from air bases in locations including the Middle East and Germany.