It's the least they can do. This withdrawal is an issue I unequivocally disagree with Biden on:
The Biden administration plans to evacuate some Afghans who have worked with the U.S. government before the American withdrawal from Afghanistan concludes in coming months, an official said Wednesday, signaling an intent to take new action to safeguard allies as foreign forces depart.
“We have for some time been quietly but intensively planning to relocate a significant number of Afghans associated with our presence out of the country while their applications are being processed,” said a senior administration official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe plans that have not been officially unveiled.
The official said the relocations would initially focus on interpreters and translators whose visa application processes are already underway. He added that they would be completed before President Biden’s Sept. 11 deadline for ending the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan.
The official declined to say how many people would be airlifted out of Afghanistan and, crucially, where they would be taken while their visa processing is conducted.
An individual familiar with the matter said the administration had not yet finalized decisions about the destination for evacuated visa applicants. Lawmakers and advocates have suggested that could be a third country or a U.S. territory such as Guam.
New insight into administration plans comes as pressure mounts from lawmakers and advocates who have demanded greater action to ensure the safety of people whose work made the two-decade U.S.-led effort in Afghanistan possible.
More than 18,000 applicants to receive so-called special immigrant visas, which were created to help local nationals assisting Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan, remain in Afghanistan, according to the International Refugee Assistance Project. Processing and approval of applicants have been plagued by delays, including a worsening coronavirus outbreak in Afghanistan.
No One Left Behind, an advocacy group for interpreters and others who worked for Americans, estimates that about 9,000 applicants are nearing the end of the process and thus could be considered for emergency relocation.
As the coming military drawdown has emboldened the Taliban and other militants, many former employees of the U.S. and NATO military and diplomatic missions in Afghanistan report intensifying threats to their lives and those of their families.
A Taliban offensive across northern Afghanistan has exposed the vulnerabilities of local security forces, who will face militants without foreign air power and combat support for the first time in coming months.
Some lawmakers, criticizing the administration for not moving fast enough, have proposed moving the visa applicants from Afghanistan to Guam to keep them safe while their paperwork and investigations are conducted.
But the most likely destinations for evacuees appeared to be in the Middle East. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are possibilities that advocates have raised with the administration and Congress.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration was working to process visa applicants “at a record pace.”
“We are working with Congress right now to streamline some of the requirements that slow this process down,” she said. “We want to take every step we can take from the federal government to treat all of these courageous individuals as they deserve.”
She said the administration was conducting planning for a possible evacuation of visa applicants “should that become necessary.”
The United States has promised to continue to assist Afghanistan’s government by providing financial and humanitarian assistance, funding security forces, and by supporting nascent peace talks with the Taliban. American diplomats are expected to remain at the heavily fortified embassy in Kabul.
It is not yet clear how the evolving evacuation plans will affect the timeline for completing the U.S. withdrawal.
While Biden set a Sept. 11 deadline for concluding the military presence in Afghanistan, 20 years after the 9/11 attacks that triggered the long U.S. campaign there, the withdrawal of military personnel and equipment has advanced enough that, prior to the administration’s decision to evacuate visa applicants, officials had expected the withdrawal could conclude as soon as early July.
The Biden administration plans to evacuate some Afghans who have worked with the U.S. government before the American withdrawal from Afghanistan concludes in coming months, an official said Wednesday, signaling an intent to take new action to safeguard allies as foreign forces depart.
“We have for some time been quietly but intensively planning to relocate a significant number of Afghans associated with our presence out of the country while their applications are being processed,” said a senior administration official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe plans that have not been officially unveiled.
The official said the relocations would initially focus on interpreters and translators whose visa application processes are already underway. He added that they would be completed before President Biden’s Sept. 11 deadline for ending the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan.
The official declined to say how many people would be airlifted out of Afghanistan and, crucially, where they would be taken while their visa processing is conducted.
An individual familiar with the matter said the administration had not yet finalized decisions about the destination for evacuated visa applicants. Lawmakers and advocates have suggested that could be a third country or a U.S. territory such as Guam.
New insight into administration plans comes as pressure mounts from lawmakers and advocates who have demanded greater action to ensure the safety of people whose work made the two-decade U.S.-led effort in Afghanistan possible.
More than 18,000 applicants to receive so-called special immigrant visas, which were created to help local nationals assisting Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan, remain in Afghanistan, according to the International Refugee Assistance Project. Processing and approval of applicants have been plagued by delays, including a worsening coronavirus outbreak in Afghanistan.
No One Left Behind, an advocacy group for interpreters and others who worked for Americans, estimates that about 9,000 applicants are nearing the end of the process and thus could be considered for emergency relocation.
As the coming military drawdown has emboldened the Taliban and other militants, many former employees of the U.S. and NATO military and diplomatic missions in Afghanistan report intensifying threats to their lives and those of their families.
A Taliban offensive across northern Afghanistan has exposed the vulnerabilities of local security forces, who will face militants without foreign air power and combat support for the first time in coming months.
Some lawmakers, criticizing the administration for not moving fast enough, have proposed moving the visa applicants from Afghanistan to Guam to keep them safe while their paperwork and investigations are conducted.
But the most likely destinations for evacuees appeared to be in the Middle East. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are possibilities that advocates have raised with the administration and Congress.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration was working to process visa applicants “at a record pace.”
“We are working with Congress right now to streamline some of the requirements that slow this process down,” she said. “We want to take every step we can take from the federal government to treat all of these courageous individuals as they deserve.”
She said the administration was conducting planning for a possible evacuation of visa applicants “should that become necessary.”
The United States has promised to continue to assist Afghanistan’s government by providing financial and humanitarian assistance, funding security forces, and by supporting nascent peace talks with the Taliban. American diplomats are expected to remain at the heavily fortified embassy in Kabul.
It is not yet clear how the evolving evacuation plans will affect the timeline for completing the U.S. withdrawal.
While Biden set a Sept. 11 deadline for concluding the military presence in Afghanistan, 20 years after the 9/11 attacks that triggered the long U.S. campaign there, the withdrawal of military personnel and equipment has advanced enough that, prior to the administration’s decision to evacuate visa applicants, officials had expected the withdrawal could conclude as soon as early July.
