The US Congress has approved a law that will allow issuing an additional 8 thousand special visas to citizens of Afghanistan.
The first group of Afghans who worked together with the American military in Afghanistan arrived at the territory of the United States. This was reported by the Associated Press on Friday, July 30.
It is indicated that tonight an evacuation flight landed at the Fort Lee Air Base in Virginia, near Washington. It delivered 221 people, including 57 children and 15 infants.
Thus, Washington, on the eve of the completion of the withdrawal of its military contingent from the Afghan territory, began to evacuate local residents who worked for the American army and did not want to stay at home after the withdrawal of the US military from there.
“Today is an important stage: We continue to fulfill the promise made to thousands of Afghans who have worked shoulder to shoulder with the US military and diplomats over the past 20 years in Afghanistan,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement.
The day before, the US Congress overwhelmingly approved a law that will allow issuing an additional 8 thousand special visas to citizens of Afghanistan and allocating $ 500 million. In total, it is planned to evacuate about 2.5 thousand Afghans who cooperated with the American authorities, as well as their families.
The Biden administration called the operation to export Afghans to the United States the Allies Refuge. The operation received broad support in Congress from Republicans and Democrats.
The threat to these Afghans and their families arose after the US began withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. Fears have also increased due to the escalation of hostilities between US-backed Afghan forces and the radical Taliban movement. In recent weeks, the militants have seized new territories and border crossings.
