Dubai, Aug 22 (AP) Bahrain says its national carrier is flying people to the United States as part of efforts to evacuate people from Afghanistan a week after the Taliban takeover.

The US-allied kingdom said Sunday that a Gulf Air flight will transport people from its Isa Air Base to Dulles International Airport south of Washington, DC.

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The official statement said the flight was an “affirmation of the Kingdom of Bahrain's efforts to protect lives.”

Earlier Sunday, the Pentagon activated the initial stage of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program, asking for 18 aircraft from American carriers to help transport Americans and Afghans who aided the US war effort.

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The commercial airlines will be used to transport people from third countries to their final destinations, allowing the US military to focus on evacuating people from Afghanistan.(AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)