Evacuation flight brings Afghans to refuge in U.S.
WASHINGTON — The first group of Afghans promised refuge by the Biden administration for helping the United States during the 20year war in Afghanistan landed on American soil early Friday, starting a new life chapter.
A chartered airliner carrying 221 Afghan interpreters, drivers and others who worked with the U.S. military, as well as their family members, arrived at Dulles International Airport outside Washington after traveling more than 30 hours from Kabul, the Afghan capital, officials said.
From Dulles, they were bused to Fort Lee, Va., south of Richmond, where they will stay at a hotel on the base for about a week to complete their processing before being resettled in the U.S. permanently, officials said.
The arrival marked the vanguard of an initial group of about 2,500 Afghans being evacuated under threat of Taliban reprisals in an effort the White House calls Operation Allies Refuge. Groups of Afghans will arrive by plane roughly every three days and be transported to Fort Lee, said one U.S. official briefed on the arrangements.
At the sprawling Army base about 130 miles south of Washington, the Afghans will stay on dedicated floors of the hotel, where private security rather than military police will be in place to ensure their safety, officials said.
An additional 4,000 Afghans who worked with U.S. forces but whose applications need further approvals will go to other countries with their families in the coming weeks to complete the visa process before coming to the United States, officials said.
The United States is negotiating with Qatar and Kuwait to house thousands of Afghans at military bases in those countries for up to several months while they complete their visa applications and await clearance to come to the United States. Diplomats are discussing similar arrangements with Kazakhstan and Kosovo, one official said.
Many of the newly arrived interpreters have long been targets of the Taliban for their cooperation with U.S. troops during the war. Their passage was promised under two congressionally devised special visa programs, but the documentation and security requirements have bedeviled many applicants.
About 18,000 Afghans have applied for special immigrant visas, which are available to people who face threats because of work for the U.S. government. The applicants have 53,000 family members.