A group of Afghan military pilots who flew their families to Uzbekistan earlier this weekend have been transferred to a US military base in the country, the first group that will exit Afghanistan in a Biden Administration with the two countries, the New York Times reports.
The pilots and their families are the first of three such groups that will fly Afghan military planes out of the country over the next few days in an arrangement brokered by the Biden Administration. The Taliban have been pressuring the Uzbeks to return the pilots, who are hated by the Taliban because they conducted air attacks on them.
About 450 people will be evacuated to Uzbekistan from Afghanistan under the arrangement. The US secured Uzbekistan’s support in transiting refugees to other countries where they will be processed and relocated.