On Tuesday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that as of 1 June, theUnited States had completed up to 44 percent of its Afghan troop withdrawalprocess, with over six facilities handed over to Afghanistan’s DefenceMinistry.
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has called on President Joe Biden to”immediately evacuate” thousands of Washington’s Afghan “friends andallies” from Afghanistan amid the pullout of American troops from the SouthAsian country.
In a 4 June letter to Biden obtained by Politico, the lawmakers expressedconcern that POTUS had not yet ordered the Department of Defence to helpthe White House implement a plan “to protect our Afghan partners”, in thewake of the first message sent to the US president on 21 April.
According to the authors of the 4 June letter, the State Department’scurrent blueprint to approve special immigrant visas (SIVs) allowing morethan 18,000 of Afghans to enter the US is being fulfilled too slowly.
The lawmakers argued that the current SIV process may come to a standstillbecause “tt takes an average of 800+ days, and we plan to withdraw [UStroops] in less than 100 days”.
They predicted the process “will not be rectified in time to help the18,000+ applicants who need visas before our withdrawal”.
“If we fail to protect our allies in Afghanistan, it will have a lastingimpact on our future partnerships and global reputation, which will then bea great detriment to our troops and the future of our national security”,the letter underscored.
The call to Biden comes after State Department spokesperson Ned Price toldreporters that they had identified “process improvements” and directedadditional resources to the SIV programme, including increasing staffing inWashington and Kabul to more efficiently process SIV applications.
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“We understand and we recognise that we have a special commitment and aspecial responsibility to the many Afghans who, over the years, have atgreat risk to themselves and even to their families — have assisted theUnited States in our efforts in Afghanistan. We are always seeking ways toimprove the SIV process while ensuring the integrity of the programme andsafeguarding our national security and affording opportunities to theseAfghans”, Price pointed out.
UK to Fast-Track Relocation of Its Afghan Partners
He spoke after the UK announced plans to rapidly resettle hundreds ofAfghans who worked for the UK military and government, mostly asinterpreters, amid concerns for their safety as international troops leaveAfghanistan.
“As we withdraw our armed forces, it is only right we accelerate therelocation of those who may be at risk of reprisals. Nobody’s life shouldbe put at risk because they supported the UK government to promote peaceand stability in Afghanistan. We are doing everything to make sure werecognise their services and bring them to safety. It is the right thing todo”, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace underlined.
On 1 May, the United States, along with NATO partners, began withdrawingtroops from Afghanistan after 20 years of war that resulted in the deathsof over 2,300 US servicemen and hundreds of thousands of Afghan casualties.
President Joe Biden vowed to complete the pullout by the 20th anniversaryof the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States thatsparked the so-called War on Terror by then-POTUS George W. Bush. – Sputnik
