Two dozen students from San Diego, Calif., And their families stranded in Afghanistan

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The six families stranded in Afghanistan were there to visit relatives, said Howard Shen, spokesperson for the Cajon Valley Union school district.

“There’s not much we can do at this point,” Shen said. “At least we have contact with them.

The school district, which serves between 16,000 and 17,000 students from Kindergarten to Grade 8, is home to a large immigrant and refugee population, mainly from Afghanistan and Iraq. District officials have contacted U.S. Representative Darrell Issa for assistance in returning affected families to the United States.

Issa and his staff “are aware of the location of several US citizens” and are in direct and constant contact with them, said Jonathan Wilcox, spokesperson for the representative.

“They are scared, stranded and trapped in the Kabul area,” Wilcox said in a statement. “So far they haven’t been able to reach the airport. I know the president and his press secretary have already said this is not happening, but that is completely wrong.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that there were around 1,500 people who could be Americans in Afghanistan as evacuation operations continue. And while the pace of those evacuations has accelerated dramatically in recent days, officials in the Biden administration have expressed concern about security around Kabul airport.

The United States has evacuated at least 4,500 Americans since Aug. 14 and more than 500 in the past day alone, Blinken said, adding that “over the past 24 hours we have been in direct contact with approximately 500 more Americans and provided specific instructions on how to get to the airport safely. “

“For the approximately 1,000 remaining contacts we have had, who could be Americans seeking to leave Afghanistan, we are aggressively contacting them several times a day through multiple channels of communication,” he added.

About 1,500 people who could be Americans remained in Afghanistan, according to Blinken

Asked about the Southern California student group during a White House briefing on Wednesday afternoon, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said: “I certainly didn’t. ‘more information on this. “

Wilcox said Issa and her staff were “in constant contact” with the State Department, the Pentagon and others on the ground in Afghanistan.

“We have reason to believe other California residents are in pretty much the same situation,” Wilcox said. “It’s real.”

Shen, the district spokesperson, could not say whether anyone in the group was injured amid the crowd of people hoping to flee the country, or whether the six families are together. Shen also noted that it is not clear if any progress is being made.

“The situation is fluid, but we expect them to be back,” Shen said. “It is hope.”

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