Flight carrying Americans from Kabul has departed UAE, says foreign ministry

A group of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents evacuated to the United Arab Emirates from Afghanistan flew out of the Gulf state on Thursday, the country's foreign ministry said, after being temporarily held up for vetting.

"The processing of those passengers has been completed and they have already departed for the United States on a commercial aircraft (Etihad) this morning," the UAE foreign ministry said in an emailed response to Reuters.