Working To Screen Passengers Of Plane Carrying Americans From Kabul: US

President Joe Biden's administration has said its top priority is repatriating Americans and lawful permanent residents who were unable to leave Afghanistan in the U.S. evacuation operation last month.

The United States is working to verify the accuracy of the list of passengers aboard a charter plane carrying more than 100 U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents evacuated from Afghanistan, the State Department said on Wednesday, after the flight's organizers said Washington denied it landing rights.

"Our embassy staff in the UAE has been working around the clock to verify the accuracy of the passenger manifest and is coordinating with DHS/Customs and Border Protection on the ground to ensure the passengers are screened and vetted before they are permitted to fly to the United States," a State Department spokesperson said.

"We expect the passengers to continue onward travel tomorrow morning," the spokesperson added.

Bryan Stern, a founder of the nonprofit group Project Dynamo, said late on Tuesday that the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection agency was blocking a charter on an international flight into a U.S. port of entry.