Thousands Who Helped the U.S. in Afghanistan Are Trapped. What Happens Next?
Tens of thousands of Afghan nationals risked their lives to assist the United States military in Afghanistan, many of them working as interpreters alongside American soldiers in combat. Now, after the Taliban’s takeover, they are more desperate than ever to leave — but swift, safe passage to the United States may prove elusive.
More than 300,000 Afghan civilians have been affiliated with the American mission over its two-decade presence in the country, according to the International Rescue Committee, but a minority qualify for refugee protection in the United States.
Among them are those who worked with the U.S. military, qualifying them and their families for special immigrant visas. However, thousands are stuck in a yearslong backlog that is only ballooning as the situation on the ground deteriorates after the withdrawal of American troops.
About 2,000 such people whose cases already had been approved have arrived in the United States on evacuation flights from Kabul, the capital, that began in July. The most recent arrivals landed on American soil late on Sunday before being processed at a military base in Virginia, according to refugee resettlement agencies.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/thousands-who-helped-the-us-in-afghanistan-are-trapped-what-happens-next/ar-AANoiRC