The first group of Afghans who aided U.S. forces is on the way to the United States to complete the application process for a special visa.
With the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan nearly complete, the Biden administration started “Operation Allies Refuge” to evacuate thousands of Afghan helpers to the U.S. who face the threat of retribution from advancing Taliban forces.
President Joe Biden called their arrival “an important milestone as we continue to fulfill our promise to the thousands of Afghan nationals who served shoulder-to-shoulder with American troops and diplomats over the last 20 years in Afghanistan,” in a statement and said it’s “just the first of many.”
“Welcome home,” Biden added.
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The initial group, which consists of 221 Afghans, left Afghanistan and is en route to Fort Lee in Virginia, senior deputy homeland security adviser Russ Travers told reporters on Thursday. Subsequent flights are expected to bring more of the approximately 700 applicants and 1,800 family members who are furthest along in the application process.
“I am immensely proud to announce our first group of Afghan special immigrants to be relocated to under Operations Allies Refuge is now on their way to America,” he added. “This flight represents a fulfillment of the U.S. Commitment and honors these Afghans’ brave service in helping support our mission in Afghanistan, in turn, helping to keep our country safe.”
The Afghans will spend about a week at the Army installation as they complete the process to obtain special visas before being relocated to various areas across the country, Afghanistan Task Force Director Ambassador Tracey Jacobson said on the call with reporters.
“To the first group of Afghan special immigrant applicants arriving in the United States as part of Operation Allies Refuge: welcome to your new home,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. “We are committed to helping those who bravely worked with us to build a better future for Afghanistan.”
Officials are hopeful they can reduce that time frame with experience.
The group will be “resettled to cities across the country with assistance through the United States refugee admissions program” once they complete a medical exam as required by law, Travers explained.
“These brave men and women, at great risk to themselves and their families, served alongside U.S. and coalition forces and diplomats to support our operations and prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorism that threatens our homeland,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement. “We have spoken many times about the moral obligation we have to help those who have helped us, and we are fully committed to working closely with our interagency partners to meet that obligation.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced the commencement of Operation Allies Refugee on July 14, which she described as a plan “to support relocation flights for interested and eligible Afghan nationals and their families who have supported the United States and our partners in Afghanistan and are in the SIV application pipeline.”
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The first group of evacuees will arrive in the U.S. just weeks before the full withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. U.S. Central Command said on Wednesday the military has completed more than 95% of the entire withdrawal process, more than a month ahead of the already determined end date of Aug. 31, which was moved up from the previously scheduled Sept. 11 end date.
The Taliban has capitalized on the departure of U.S. troops, according to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction’s latest report, which detailed how attacks are increasing while Afghan personnel and infrastructure are teetering.
