Khaberni - The US State Department revealed that about 9,000 American citizens residing in the United Arab Emirates preferred to stay in the country, despite the American government organizing chartered flights to evacuate them.
The Department stated in a statement issued by Dylan Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, that the State Department contacted thousands of Americans in the UAE to offer seats on evacuation flights organized by the American government. However, these flights departed with vacant seats due to low demand.
The statement clarified that most Americans who requested assistance ultimately chose not to use it, preferring either to stay in the countries where they reside or to travel via the available commercial flights.
The American official noted that the availability of commercial flights in the region was gradually improving, which prompted the State Department to reduce the chartered air transport and ground transport operations it had launched since the outbreak of the crisis in the region.
According to the statement, more than 43,000 American citizens have returned to the United States from the Middle East since February 28, via a combination of chartered government flights and commercial flights.
The US State Department confirmed that its round-the-clock emergency team provided direct assistance to more than 30,000 Americans abroad, by offering security guidance and assistance with travel arrangements.
The Department pointed out that the decline in demand for evacuations, coupled with the success of previous operations, means that this will be the last daily update on these efforts, with updates to be issued as needed.
