Uzbekistan warns the U.S. that Afghan pilots trained by U.S. forces who fled the Central Asian country after the Taliban took over from Afghanistan could be expelled.
Hundreds of members of the Afghan service fled to Uzbekistan aboard dozens of U.S.-supplied planes and helicopters, along with families and colleagues, after the Taliban took control of the capital Kabul earlier this month. .
However, Uzbekistan urges the United States to extract those Afghan pilots to a different country to avoid clashes between them and the Taliban, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing officials.
Uzbekistan has maintained relations with the Taliban for years, the newspaper noted.
The issue of U.S.-trained Afghan pilots in Uzbekistan received increasing attention after Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), who is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and is a former Air Force pilot. United States, asked the Secretary of State Anthony Blink
Antony BlinkenBiden orders DHS to take the lead in resettling Afghan refugees. The top Chinese diplomat calls on the world to “positively guide” the U.S. Taliban; 97 more countries say they expect the Taliban to guarantee a “safe and orderly” trip out of Afghanistan MORE to get involved in the situation and help the pilots who are at risk of retaliation from the Taliban, the newspaper reported.
The State Department responded to questions on the issue, saying, “We thank the Uzbek government for continuing to host Afghans in Uzbekistan as we pursue all avenues for its long-term security and safety,” according to the newspaper.
However, the State Department has been slow in responding to the situation, the newspaper reported, citing a foreign official, which has frustrated the Uzbek government.
Pfluger said Uzbekistan’s ambassador to the United States last week told him the pilots “should not return home, but cannot stay here,” noting the Taliban pressure arising from the matter, reported the newspaper.
Taliban are reportedly pressuring officials at the Uzbek embassy in Kabul to send the pilots, a foreign official told the newspaper, warning that their families in Afghanistan will be at risk if not returned immediately.
The chaos occurred in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized Kabul more than two weeks ago, prompting the evacuation of U.S. citizens and Afghan allies by the U.S. military.
The United States has taken more than 79,000 civilians out of the country since Aug. 14, according to Marine Corps General Frank McKenzie, head of the U.S. Central Command.
McKenzie in the evacuation operation: since August 14, the US military has evacuated more than 79,000 civilians, including the American 6K
U.S. and coalition planes evacuated 123,000 civilians– Jeremy Diamond (@ JDiamond1) August 30, 2021
The last U.S. military flight left Afghanistan on Monday afternoon, ending the longest war in U.S. history.