U.S. resumes flights out of Afghanistan after hours-long pause, and announces countries that will aid in evacuation efforts

The United States has resumed flights out of Afghanistan following an hours-long pause, Pentagon officials said Friday afternoon. The temporary suspension occurred after a facility in Doha, Qatar, hit capacity, leaving officials scrambling to find more places to assist with the transit of desperate evacuees. 

"Flight operations have resumed and U.S. military flights to Qatar and other locations are departing Kabul as we speak right now," Army Major General William Taylor, Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations, said at a press briefing. "We are looking at additional locations for these initial flights to land." Taylor emphasized that aircraft availability is not an issue, and said the U.S. aims "to maximize each plane's capacity."