Wanna Leave Afghanistan? Erik Prince of Blackwater Fame Is Charging $6,500 Per Person to Get Out

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Erik Prince, cofounder of the infamous security contractor formerly known as Blackwater, said he is chartering planes to get stranded people out of Afghanistan for $6,500 per person.

Prince said he can guarantee safe passage to the airport in Kabul, where an unknown number of people are waiting to be ferried out of the country. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Wednesday that there may be up to 1,500 Americans still in Afghanistan. He said 4,500 have already been evacuated. More than 80,000 people overall have been evacuated since August 14.

For those who are remain stuck in their homes, Prince said they can be extracted for an extra fee.

That kind of dough may be difficult for many in Afghanistan to pony up, as the country’s GDP per capita was $509 in 2020, according to the World Bank.

It should be noted that it is unclear if Prince has the resources and logistical capacity to actually deliver on his plan.

Prince has been a controversial figure going back to the 2000s. He and Blackwater became household names in 2007 after Blackwater contractors shot and killed 17 Iraqis in Nisour Square in Baghdad. Four of them were later tried and convicted in U.S. federal court in 2014, but were pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2020.

In an apparent rebranding effort, Blackwater later changed its name to Xe. The company, which Prince no longer leads, is now known as Academi.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki slammed Prince on Wednesday, saying, “I don’t think any human being who has a heart and soul would support efforts to profit off of people’s agony and pain as they’re trying to depart a country and fearing for their lives.”

Prince is brother of Trump education secretary Betsy DeVos. They were born to billionaire Edgar Prince.