Facebook was part of a joint effort that helped airlift 175 Afghans to Mexico, the tech giant said in a statement Wednesday.
Facebook said it was attempting to evacuate some of its own employees and associates when it became involved in an effort to extract journalists and their family members, a company spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Wednesday. Axios first reported Facebook’s involvement.
“In the process of assisting Facebook employees and close partners leave Afghanistan, we joined an effort to help a group of journalists and their families who were in grave danger,” the spokesperson said.
Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign affairs said in a statement Wednesday that 175 Afghan citizens, including “social media workers, activists and independent journalists and their families” arrived at the Mexico City International Airport. The agency said the group arrived on an Egypt air flight and was assisted by the governments of Egypt, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
The Facebook “like” sign is seen at Facebook’s corporate headquarters campus in Menlo Park, California, on October 23, 2019. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in communication with the representatives of these groups that are requesting protection for humanitarian reasons, in addition to the governments of other countries and other areas of the federal government in order to make their arrival possible,” the agency said.
Facebook also thanked the foreign governments, and will reportedly help cover the costs of the flights and evacuation, according to the Mexican government. (RELATED: Troops Deliver Afghan Baby On Board Evacuation Flight)
“Thanks to the leadership of the Mexican government, and the support of the UAE in providing the initial landing, the journalists have been welcomed in Mexico,” the Facebook spokesperson said.
The last U.S. flight from Afghanistan left Kabul airport Monday afternoon, leaving behind several hundred Americans as well as thousands of Afghans who assisted U.S. forces in the war effort.
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