The United States is preparing to evacuate thousands of Afghan special visa applicants from the Taliban.
US President Joe Biden has authorized up to 100 million US dollars from the emergency fund to respond to “unexpected emergencies” Refugee needs The White House stated that it stems from the situation in Afghanistan, including applicants for special immigration visas for Afghanistan.
The White House said that on Friday, Biden also approved the release of $200 million in services and goods from the inventory of US government agencies to meet the same demand.
America is getting ready to start Evacuated thousands Applicants for Afghanistan’s Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) are facing threats from the Taliban because of the work of the US government.
The first batch of evacuees and their families are expected to fly to Fort Lee, a US military base in Virginia, before the end of this month, where they will wait for the final processing of their visa applications.
about 2,500 Afghans The Pentagon said on Monday that it can be taken to a facility located about 48 kilometers (30 miles) south of Richmond.
The Biden administration is reviewing other U.S. facilities in the U.S. and overseas that can accommodate SIV applicants and their families.
Afghans who have worked can obtain special immigrant visas translator Or take other jobs for the U.S. government after the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a piece of legislation that would increase the number of SIVs that can be granted by 8,000, which will cover all possible eligible applications.
US officials say that approximately 18,000 such applications are being processed.
Early Friday, Canadian government It said it would quickly relocate thousands of Afghans who have worked with Canada in the past 20 years, but provided few details on who is eligible or when people who are now in danger of the Taliban will begin to arrive.
The government has been facing pressure from Canadian veterans who fear that Afghans who support them and their families will face arrest and even death threats. Taliban.
White House Press Secretary Jane Pasaki said that President Joe Biden is scheduled to speak with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani by phone later in the day. [Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]“For the safety and security of the Afghans and the Canadian team already there, we must protect the exact details of how this operation will proceed and when it will begin,” said Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino.
The withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan gave the Taliban more courage to occupy parts of the country. The occupied territories include parts of the southern province of Kandahar, where Canadian troops spent the longest time during their 13-year mission in the country.
Also on Friday, the United States called on the Taliban to negotiate after the organization stated that Afghanistan will not be peaceful until a new government and president is established in Kabul. Ashraf Ghani Has been removed.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen (Suhail Shaheen), who was also a member of the organization’s negotiating team, explained their position on what should happen next to a country on the edge of a cliff.
Shahin said that when a negotiating government acceptable to all parties to the conflict is established in Kabul and the Ghani government steps down, the Taliban will lay down their weapons.
In a press conference held over the phone, State Department spokesperson Jalena Porter said: “We call on the Taliban to conduct serious negotiations to determine Afghanistan’s future political roadmap in order to achieve a just and lasting solution.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki affirmed Biden’s support for the President of Afghanistan. She said Biden plans to talk to Ghani over the phone later in the day.
“The President and the government support the leadership of the Afghan people, including Ashraf Ghani,” Psaki told reporters.
“I want to point out that political negotiations and discussions that we certainly support are going on between the Afghan leaders, members of the Afghan government and the Taliban. We believe that a political solution is the only result of lasting peace in Afghanistan,” she said.
