US worked with Taliban to have militants guide evacuating Americans through secret gates at Kabul airport, CNN report says

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, enters a plane evacuating people, at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021.

(Capt. William Urban/U.S. Navy via AP

• According to CNN, the US worked out a secret deal with the Taliban amidst evacuations.
• The deal reportedly involved secret gates at the Kabul airport and Taliban militants guiding Americans.
• See more stories on Insider's business page.

The US and the Taliban worked out a deal setting up secret gates at the Kabul airport, with Taliban militants guiding evacuating Americans through them until August 31, according to CNN.

CNN reported that the deal involved militants helping transport clusters of Americans, and US special forces worked with the Taliban to organize several daily trips guiding the evacuees.

According to CNN, there were also evacuation call centers manned by US forces, and the Taliban reportedly helped refer evacuees to it.

"It worked, it worked beautifully," an official who spoke to CNN anonymously said.

The arrangement highlights a more direct tactical relationship between the US and the Taliban during a month where the US withdrew its forces and helped evacuate 123,000 people from Afghanistan.

Insider reached out to the White House, the State Department, and US Central Command for comment.

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