U.S. Diplomat Who Helped Run Afghanistan Evacuation Tests Positive

Politics|The past U.S. diplomat to permission Kabul has tested affirmative for the virus.

• Sept. 2, 2021, 5:42 p.m. ET

Ross Wilson, the chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy successful Kabul who helped negociate the evacuation from the Kabul airport, has tested affirmative for the coronavirus, according to a idiosyncratic acquainted with his information who was not authorized to talk connected the record.

Mr. Wilson was 1 of a fig of officials who continued operating successful the state arsenic Taliban fighters swept into the capital, prompting the evacuation of astir 123,000 people. The past American diplomat to depart Kabul, helium continued moving astatine the airdrome to process the paperwork of Afghans who wanted to permission for 2 weeks aft the embassy unopen down connected Aug. 15.

Mr. Wilson’s information connected Thursday was not instantly clear.

In the unreserved to implicit the evacuation, subject and diplomatic officials person scrambled to enactment successful spot a strategy for screening those airlifted retired of the state for the virus. Many person arrived successful the United States.

Pentagon officials person said that they established somesthesia checks and different Covid protocols astatine the airfield successful Kabul. Last week, the White House property secretary, Jen Psaki, said that each evacuees would besides beryllium tested and offered vaccines upon arrival.

“With regards to Covid, the Afghans coming from the Middle East into our locations that we person stood up are each being tested, actually, aggregate times,” Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, the commandant of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said past week.

Of those who arrived past week, astir 1 retired of 1,200 had tested positive, helium said.

Addressing the evacuation efforts connected Monday, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken thanked Mr. Wilson, whom helium credited for “exceptional, courageous enactment during a highly challenging time.”

Mr. Blinken besides acknowledged the dense toll that the pandemic had taken connected Afghanistan, wherever vaccines person been scarce and a summer surge conscionable months agone severely strained the country’s hospitals.

Lara Jakes contributed reporting.