China evacuates civilians from Afghanistan amid US tussle

China sent a flight from Afghanistan to bring home 210 of its citizens, state media reported on Friday, as US forces prepare to leave the country and the security situation escalates.

The Global Times newspaper published by the ruling Communist Party said Xiamen Airlines The flight took off from the capital, Kabul, on July 2 and landed in the central province of Hubei. The airline confirmed the report in a post on its Twitter-like Weibo account but did not provide any additional details.

The Global Times and other reports said 22 of those on board the ship tested positive for COVID-19, although those numbers did not appear in the National Health Commission’s daily report of new cases.

The US military is scheduled to leave Afghanistan by August 31 after battling the Taliban for nearly 20 years.