US relocating Afghans under ‘Operation Allies Refuge’

Amidst a cacophony of criticism regarding the drawdown of US troops from Afghanistan, President Biden has directed the launch of the United States “Operation Allies Refuge” to support relocation of Afghan nationals and their families eligible for US Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). Flights for those already in the SIV application process were scheduled for the last week of July.

naysayers in the US, who were apprehensive that Afghans who will be targeted by the Taliban as collaborators, including pilots, journalists and human rights activists are being left behind in the lurch. President Biden’s timely announcement of “Operation Allies Refuge” has negated the unjust criticism. The US Embassy in Kabul is coordinating with the State Department to support the operation. These relocation operations will allow the United States to fulfill its commitment to those who have served the US in Afghanistan at great personal risk. They build on the successful acceleration of SIV processing since visa interviews resumed after the COVID suspension ended in 2021.

It is heartening that the United States continues strongly to support the people of Afghanistan and its institutions through security assistance to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, development and humanitarian aid, and diplomacy on behalf of peace and stability in Afghanistan.

This is in consonance with President Biden’s confidence that Afghanistan’s armed forces have the capability to defend the country. He believes that Afghanistan’s future will ultimately have to be resolved at the negotiating table.

The US engagement also aims to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a safe haven for terrorist attacks on the United States and its allies; promote economic growth and self-reliance; preserve gains in education, health, and the rule of law; empower and protect the rights of women, girls, and minorities; bolster Afghan civil society; and respond to humanitarian needs.

The United States is beginning airlifting from Afghanistan thousands of those who helped support American forces there during the past 20 years and now fear for their lives amid a Taliban offensive. Authorities are not disclosing specific numbers or the destinations for the evacuation flights for operational and security reasons. Civilian charter aircraft are being used for the evacuation. It has been reported that negotiations have been underway with such Central Asian nations as Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters that potential locations have been identified, “some of them not US installations,” but final selections have not been made. US mid-Pacific territory of Guam is still under consideration as a waystation for the evacuees.

Officials on the island of Guam, which has previously been used as a refugee processing center, have welcomed plans to use the territory to temporarily host the Afghans. Last Monday, the use of Fort Lee, in Virginia, as a temporary host installation was announced by John F. Kirby during a briefing at the Pentagon.

James Miervaldis, a Defense Department consultant and board chairman of “No One Left Behind”, says the organization has raised $1 million to fund direct airfare for the special visa applicants. He claims that his organization is committed to making sure SIVs have every opportunity to come to the United States safely.

He confirmed that flights out of Afghanistan, for SIV applicants who are already in the pipeline, are planned to begin in the last week of July and will continue till his organization’s objective of getting individuals who are eligible, relocated out of the country in advance of the removal of the withdrawal of (US) troops at the end of August, is achieved.

The initial priority, according to administration sources, is airlifting several thousand of those whose visa applications are already being processed. Eventually, the operation could expand to accommodate tens of thousands more people, including family members of the interpreters, translators and other personnel who supported the US forces in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion to oust the Taliban.

Jennifer Quigley, senior director of government affairs at Human Rights First has applauded the decision to relocate the Afghan allies. She, however, stresses that to meet US promises to its Afghan allies, any evacuation must include all 18,000 Afghans who worked with US forces and their families. She opined that to limit the evacuation based on visa application status would do a terrible wrong to them and to America’s reputation around the world.

Because of the surge in recent weeks, between US-backed Afghan forces and the Taliban, with the insurgents capturing significant territory in the northern part of the country as well as some border crossings, the situation has become grim for those Afghans who worked with US forces thus necessitating the prioritization of relocating them.

The Taliban’s recent execution of 22 surrendering Afghan commandos is ample evidence of the fate that awaits the Afghan supporters of the US operations in their country.

Meanwhile, at Fort Lee, the initial group of special immigrant visa applicants would be able to safely complete the final steps of the SIV process, such as final medical screenings and final administrative requirements. According to Kirby, “These initial relocation movements — the first that are under Operation Allies Refuge — will again reaffirm America’s commitment to those who have helped us and to whom we owe so much.”

He confirmed that this initial group of Afghans — about 700 Afghan citizens who participated in helping the US military and 1,800 family members — are in the final stages of the SIV process, and are expected to stay at Fort Lee for just a few days before being resettled elsewhere in the United States.

At Fort Lee, the US Army will provide food and housing for both individuals and families. The Army will also provide medical care if it is needed. Kirby also said that all those coming to the US will be medically screened before boarding planes to the US and will also have already undergone an SIV-related security vetting process.

It must be commended that the US is not willing to turn its back on the group of Afghans that supported it and will take measures to provide them sanctuary.