US to fly Afghan interpreters to other locations outside country next month

WASHINGTON: The Biden administration will fly Afghan interpreters to third countries in August where they can wait until their special immigrant visas are approved, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday.

According to Sputnik, Afghan interpreters are facing threats from the Taliban movement for helping US and Nato forces throughout the last 20 years of the war in Afghanistan.

“We have stood up an operation to physically relocate thousands of these Afghans and their families before the US military mission concludes so that they can wait safely outside of Afghanistan,” Psaki said during a press briefing.

“I can confirm that we will be conducting flights of our Afghan allies to these locations in August.”

Psaki did not disclose an exact number of how many Afghan interpreters would be relocated to another country or granted an opportunity to resettle in the United States.

The Biden administration is working closely with Congress to expedite the process for approving the special immigrant visas for Afghan interpreters, Psaki said.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said in June that Lithuania is granting asylum to Afghan interpreters who worked for its military in Afghanistan amid concerns for their safety after Nato’s withdrawal.

Canada is also working to resettle Afghan interpreters in the country before foreign forces completely withdraw from Afghanistan.

The departure of US and Nato forces from Afghanistan, scheduled to be completed by Sept 11, has been met with a surge in violence, with dozens of districts in Afghanistan’s rural north falling to the Taliban movement in the past weeks.