Department Of State

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Smoke rises from explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. The explosion went off outside Kabul’s airport, where thousands of people have flocked as they try to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Officials offered no casualty count, but a witness said several people appeared to have been killed or wounded Thursday. (AP Photo/Wali Sabawoon)

Biden condemns terrorist attacks in Kabul, vows to ‘hunt down’ those who killed 13 U.S. troops

By Ben Wolfgang and Mike Glenn - The Washington Times

In this image provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, board a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. (Sgt. Isaiah Campbell/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

‘Leave immediately’: State Dept. warns Americans at Kabul airport amid terror threat

By Ben Wolfgang - The Washington Times

In this photo provided by the Spanish Defence Ministry and taken in Kabul, Afghanistan, people board a Spanish airforce A400 plane as part of an evacuation plan at Kabul airport in Afghanistan, Wednesday Aug. 18, 2021. (Spanish Defence Ministry via AP)

State Department: Taliban ‘appears’ to let Americans reach Kabul airport

By S.A. Miller - The Washington Times

U.S soldiers stand guard along a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. On Monday, the U.S. military and officials focus was on Kabul's airport, where thousands of Afghans trapped by the sudden Taliban takeover rushed the tarmac and clung to U.S. military planes deployed to fly out staffers of the U.S. Embassy, which shut down Sunday, and others. (AP Photo/Shekib Rahmani)

Rush to approve Afghan visas poses serious risks

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times

An Afghan army soldier stands guard on the outskirts of Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Mirwais Bezhan)

‘Complete, utter failure’: Frustration with Afghan army boils over as Taliban take 2 more provinces

By Ben Wolfgang - The Washington Times

President Joe Biden, left, speaks to the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate, from the East Room of the White House, Thursday, April 22, 2021, in Washington, as Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, looks on. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

State Department denies Kerry flew privately for Obama’s party

By Valerie Richardson - The Washington Times

This Jan. 14, 2013, file photo shows a gavel sitting on a desk inside a courtroom. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)

China subjected US diplomats to anal swabs to test for COVID-19, conservative group says in lawsuit

By Shen Wu Tan - The Washington Times

In this Nov. 26, 2019, photo, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo smiles as he speaks with reporters at the State Department in Washington. The State Department says it's looking into the the apparent disappearance of a nearly $6,000 bottle of whisky given to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by the government of Japan. In a notice filed in the Federal Register on Wednesday, the department said it could find no trace of the bottle's whereabouts and that there is an “ongoing inquiry” into what happened to the booze. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) **FILE**

State Dept. investigating whereabouts of pricey Japanese whiskey given to Pompeo

By Andrew Blake - The Washington Times

FILE - This May 25, 2021, file photo shows a U.S. Passport cover in Washington. Americans hoping to travel abroad this summer may have to delay their plans if they need new or renewed passports. Would-be travelers are overwhelming federal offices as the lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions unleashes a pent-up demand for passports. Wait times for new passports and renewals are now up to 18 weeks and those seeking expedited appointments can take up to 12 weeks. (AP Photo/Eileen Putman, File)

US passport delays lead to long lines of would-be travelers

By Christopher Weber and Eugene Garcia - Associated Press

Newly Afghan Army Special forces attend their graduation ceremony after a three-month training program at the Kabul Military Training Centre (KMTC) in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, July 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Afghan losses, Haiti killing spark new questions about U.S. foreign military training

By Ben Wolfgang - The Washington Times

In this Friday, April 30, 2021, photo former Afghan interpreters hold placards during a protest against the U.S. government and NATO in Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

‘I’m waiting for my number’: Time running out for Afghan allies caught in U.S. evacuation snare

By Joseph Clark - The Washington Times

In this Aug. 30, 2018, file photo, a new citizens holds an American flag and passport during a naturalization ceremony at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Kendall Field Office in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File) **FILE**

Biden administration eases gender requirements on U.S. passports

By Guy Taylor - The Washington Times

House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Michael McCaul, R-Texas, joined from left by Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, and Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., speaks at a news conference where Republicans charge China with a coverup of the origin of COVID-19, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

‘He created this’: Biden under pressure to rescue Afghan allies before pullout

By Joseph Clark - The Washington Times

Security personnel manned the entrance of the Wuhan Institute of Virology during a Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021, visit by a team from the World Health Organization. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Pompeo has ‘high confidence’ Wuhan lab is linked to China’s military

By Bill Gertz - The Washington Times

Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations budget hearing on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, June 8, 2021 in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

U.S. Embassy in Kabul halts visa process as Afghan allies scramble to escape before troop pullout

By Joseph Clark - The Washington Times

Smoke rises after a huge explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, July 1, 2019. Powerful explosion rocks Afghan capital, with smoke seen billowing from downtown area near U.S. Embassy. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) **FILE**

Painful memories as U.S. ponders safety of Afghan embassy

By Ben Wolfgang - The Washington Times

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a meeting with the foreign ministers of Mexico and Central American Integration System (SICA) member states at Intercontinental Hotel Costa Rica, in San Jose, Costa Rica, Tuesday, June 1, 2021. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP) **FILE**

Blinken pressed on alleged Soros link to U.S. moves in Balkans

By Joseph Clark and Guy Taylor - The Washington Times

In this Feb. 23, 2017, photo, Shi Zhengli works with other researchers in a lab at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province. (Chinatopix via AP) **FILE**

U.S. eyes coronavirus modified in Wuhan as possible ‘backbone’ behind pandemic

By Bill Gertz - The Washington Times

In this Thursday, May 20, 2021, photo, President Joe Biden speaks in the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington. Biden is asking U.S. intelligence agencies to “redouble” efforts to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. He says there is insufficient evidence to conclude “whether it emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident.” (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) **FILE**

Inside the Ring: Biden team shuts down State Department’s COVID-19 probe

By Bill Gertz - The Washington Times

A crater full of water and sewage remains where the home of Ramez al-Masri was destroyed by an air-strike prior to a cease-fire reached after an 11-day war between Gaza's Hamas rulers and Israel, Sunday, May 23, 2021, in Beit Hanoun, the northern Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Antony Blinken says Hamas offers ruin for Palestinians

By Guy Taylor - The Washington Times