U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived on Monday in Qatar where he will seek support to evacuate Americans and at-risk Afghans left behind in Afghanistan, APA reports quoting Reuters.

A senior State Department official told reporters on Blinken’s flight that Washington has facilitated the safe departure of four more Americans overland from Afghanistan.

“This is the first overland evacuation facilitated by the State Department,” the official said, adding that the Taliban were aware of the operation and did not impede safe passage of the individuals.

The official did not name the country they transited to.

Dubbed as a “thank you” tour to Qatar and Germany, who were instrumental in helping Washington evacuate thousands of people out of Kabul, Blinken will meet with senior Qatari and German officials. In Germany he will also co-host a ministerial meeting on Afghanistan.

Source: Azeri-Press News Agency