Hillary Clinton has been arranging charter flights out of Afghanistan for at-risk women, reports say

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox

Get our free Inside Washington email

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice

Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who previously warned of the “huge consequences” of withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan, has now reportedly attempted to charter flights out of the country for the country’s at-risk women.

Ms Clinton and her team have been trying to aid potential Taliban targets in leaving the country, which swiftly fell to the militant group in mid August following the withdrawal of US troops, The New York Times reported.

As the Taliban took over the country’s major cities, dramatic scenes saw thousands of people surrounding Kabul airport in an attempt to escape life under the group’s rule.

And as it soon became clear that evacuating people would be a gargantuan task, some private individuals decided to donate money to charter flights out of the country.

“Last week, the evacuation options to get women’s rights activists out came largely from an informal network of powerful, connected, some very wealthy people, some trying to literally charter private jets to evacuate women thought to be Taliban targets,” Marie Clarke, the vice-president of global programmes at Women for Women International, told The Guardian.

In addition to having a hand in attempting to rescue at-risk women from Afghanistan, Ms Clinton also spoke with Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, about the escalating crisis.

“I also spoke last night with former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,” Mr Trudeau said on Tuesday, according to the Washington Examiner, adding that she “shares our concern for Afghan women and girls” and “urged Canada to continue our work”.

The former presidential hopeful earlier this year warned about the humanitarian consequences of a withdrawal from Afghanistan following a two-decades long war that cost the US more than $822bn.

“This is what we call a wicked problem. There are consequences both foreseen and unintended of staying and of leaving,” she told CNN in May, adding that the US was facing “two huge consequences” of withdrawal – the threat from the Taliban and the number of refugees the situation would likely create.