Fearing retaliation by the Taliban, the “Ally Refuge” will airlift thousands of Afghans waiting for visas to US bases.

Officials from the White House and the US Embassy in Kabul said that with the advancement of the Taliban, the United States is launching an allied refuge operation to airlift thousands of Afghan nationals who have helped the United States and NATO troops during the 20-year Western occupation of Afghanistan.

According to the US Embassy, ??flights for those already in the US visa application process will begin in the last week of July.

“The U.S. Embassy will coordinate with the State Department to support the allies’ asylum operations,” said Ambassador Rose Wilson, the U.S. Chargé d’affaires in Kabul.

Wilson said: “These relocations will enable the United States to fulfill its commitment to those who are here to serve our country at great personal risks.”

With the Taliban’s victory on the battlefield against the Afghan government forces and police in the provinces surrounding the capital, concerns about the Taliban’s takeover in Kabul have increased, and Border crossings seized With neighboring countries Iran, Pakistan and Turkmenistan.

This U.S. military withdrawalAccording to U.S. military officials, reducing 4,000 soldiers to 650 will continue to protect the embassy and Kabul Airport, which is 90% complete.The United States has handed over control of Bagram Air Force Base to the Afghan military. Since 2018, the US commander General Austin “Scott” Miller has been Recall Washington.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington, D.C. on Thursday that the “priority” of the United States is to relocate “eligible Afghan nationals and their families who support the United States and our partner Afghanistan.”

(1/2) The U.S. Embassy will coordinate with the State Department to support the allies’ asylum operations. These relocations will enable the United States to fulfill its commitments to those who are here to serve our country at great personal risks. https://t.co/JaHEFb7a04

-Chargé d’affaires Ross Wilson (@USAmbKabul) July 15, 2021

About 20,000 interpreterPsaki said that staff, drivers and other people and their families are applying for visas to enter the United States under the Afghan Special Plan. The US Congress is preparing legislation to expedite these visas and support emergency relocation plans.

Psaki said that “a large part of this group” will “relocate directly to American military bases” where they will receive “medical examinations”, housing and assistance.

Psaki said that other people who “have not completed the background check” will first fly to US military bases overseas or a third country, “where they will be settled safely until the visa processing is completed.”

She did not specify which US bases or third countries will be involved, citing the safety of those resettled.

The resettlement plan to help the Afghans in the United States has been underway for several weeks.President Joe Biden, who approved these flights, said: “The people who help us are Won’t be left behind. “