Airlift begins for Afghans who worked for U.S. during long military campaign

Former Afghan interpreters who have worked with US troops in Afghanistan demonstrate in front of the US embassy in Kabul June 25, 2021. REUTERS / Stringer / File Photo

WASHINGTON, July 30 (Reuters) – About 200 Afghans were set to start new lives in the U.S. on Friday when an airlift was launched for translators and others who risk retaliation by the Taliban for defending them during the Twenty Years’ War US government worked in Afghanistan, US officials said.

The operation to evacuate US-affiliated Afghans and family members comes as US troop withdrawal nears completion and government forces struggle to repel Taliban advances.

The first plane load of about 200 evacuees arrived at Fort Lee, a US military base in Virginia, to process the final papers and conduct medical examinations.

The Afghans who have worked for the United States receive a special immigrant visa (SIV) that allows them to bring their families with them. In the “Operation Allies Refuge”, up to 50,000 or more people could ultimately be evacuated.

“These arrivals are just the first of many as we are working quickly to get SIV-eligible Afghans out of harm’s way – to the United States, US facilities overseas, or third countries – so they can wait in safety while they end their work visa applications, “said US President Joe Biden in a statement.

Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken said in a separate statement that the United States would continue to use “the full strength of our diplomatic, economic and development tools” to assist the Afghan people.

The first group of comers are among the roughly 2,500 SIV applicants and family members who have nearly completed the process and cleared it for evacuation, said Russ Travers, Biden’s assistant homeland security adviser.

Afghans were expected to stay in Fort Lee for up to seven days before joining relatives or host families across the country.

The evacuees had “rigorous background checks” and COVID-19 tests, added Travers. Some have already been vaccinated and the rest will be offered vaccinations at Fort Lee.

The increased violence in Afghanistan has created serious problems for many SIV applicants, whose papers are in preparation, on the basis of reports – denied by the Taliban – that some have been killed by vengeful insurgents.

Some applicants are unable to get to the capital, Kabul, to take the necessary steps at the US embassy or to catch their flights.

The SIV program has been plagued by long turnaround times and bureaucratic knots – to be resolved by the Biden administration and Congress – which have left around 20,000 applications backlog. The State Department hired staff to deal with them.

“The US had 20 years to predict what the withdrawal would look like,” said Adam Bates, policy advisor for the International Refugee Assistance Project, which provides legal assistance to refugees. “It’s ruthless that we’re so late.”

Kim Staffieri, co-founder of the Association of Wartime Allies, which helps SIV applicants, said polls the group conducted on Facebook show that about half of SIV applicants cannot reach Kabul, including many who are evacuating allowed are.

In 2006, Congress launched SIV programs for Iraqi and Afghan interpreters who risked retaliation for their work for the US government.

Reporting by Jonathan Landay, Additional reporting by Maria Ponnezhath; Edited by Mary Milliken, Cynthia Osterman, and Timothy Heritage

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