169 US citizens rescued from Kabul

WASHINGTON: The United States military in Afghanistan deployed three helicopters to rescue 169 Americans unable to reach the Kabul airport to leave the country, an official said on Friday. In the first evidence that US forces were willing and able to go beyond the US-secured airport to evacuate people, three helicopters flew to pick up the US citizens at the Baron hotel near the airport, the Pentagon said. The group had planned to walk to the airport, but a crowd was gathered there and US officials were concerned for the Americans’ safety.