Among the Afghans left by the U.S. airlift after the Taliban took over the country are U.S. embassy contractors, special visa applicants for immigrants, and members of the Afghan army, among others. others.
Leading the news: In one of the largest air bridges in history, the U.S. evacuated 120,000 people from Afghanistan before it withdrew. But at least 100 Americans and thousands of Afghan allies were left behind.
- The United States and 97 other countries announced last week that they had reached an agreement with the Taliban to allow them to continue removing their Afghan citizens and allies from the country after the August 31 withdrawal deadline.
But, but, but: Negotiations for aircraft departures in the days following the end of the withdrawal have dragged on, as flights to Al Udeid air base approved by the US and Qatar await final approval from the Taliban, according to reported the New York Times.
The big picture: Although President Biden toasted over the airlift as an “extraordinary success,” the Afghans left behind – some of whom repeated evacuation attempts – fearing what the future holds for us.
- A source told the Washington Post that some 2,000 U.S. embassy contractors and immediate family members are among those left behind. The State Department declined to comment on the figure.
What they say: A contractor who worked for six years at the U.S. embassy told the Post that he did not receive any calls or emails from the embassy after Aug. 15.
- “Everyone knows where I worked, that I worked with Americans,” he added, noting that he eventually fled to another province.
- An engineer who worked for the U.S. Army and was in the final stages of his SIV application managed to reach the airport gates twice, only to be removed twice, according to the mail.
- “My kids, they don’t understand,” he told the Post. “But my wife just cries,‘ Why did you work with these people? Look how you have put us in danger! »
Many Afghan women and the girls fear that their rights will be severely restricted under the Taliban government.
- A young graduate of the American University of Afghanistan told the Post that she expected an evacuation that never materialized, as people connected to the school were not prioritized as “high risk” and had to navigate checkpoints. Taliban without US or NATO assistance. .