US to Resume Afghanistan Evacuation Flights before Year's End

The United States is going to resume evacuation flights from Afghanistan before the end of the year, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing an unidentified U.S. State Department official.

The U.S.-sponsored flights would help American citizens, legal residents and some visa applicants. No date has been set for the flights to resume, according to the report.

Representatives for the State Department did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the WSJ report.

President Joe Biden's administration has affirmed that its top priority is repatriating Americans and green card holders who could not leave Afghanistan in the U.S. evacuation operation in August.

The State Department has stressed that talks with the Taliban did not indicate that the United States was recognizing Taliban rule in Afghanistan.

“We remain clear that any legitimacy must be earned through the Taliban’s own actions,” a State Department spokesperson said.