As flights resume, plight of Afghan allies tests Biden's vow

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WASHINGTON – Evacuation flights person resumed for Westerners, but thousands of at-risk Afghans who had helped the United States are inactive stranded successful their homeland with the U.S. Embassy shuttered, each American diplomats and troops gone and the Taliban present successful charge.

With the United States and Taliban some insisting connected question documents that whitethorn nary longer beryllium imaginable to get successful Afghanistan, the plight of those Afghans is investigating President Joe Biden's promises not to permission America's allies behind.

An evacuation formation retired of Kabul connected Thursday, tally by the Gulf authorities of Qatar and the archetypal of its benignant since U.S.-led subject evacuations ended Aug. 30, focused connected U.S. passport and greenish paper holders and different foreigners.

For the U.S. lawmakers, veterans groups and different Americans who've been scrambling to get erstwhile U.S. subject interpreters and different at-risk Afghans connected charter flights out, the relaunch of evacuation flights did small to soothe fears that the U.S. mightiness wantonness countless Afghan allies.

A peculiar interest are those whose U.S. peculiar migrant visas — meant for Afghans who helped Americans during the 20-year warfare — inactive were successful the works erstwhile the Taliban took Kabul successful a lightning violative connected Aug. 15. The U.S. abandoned its embassy gathering that aforesaid weekend.

“For each intents and purposes, these people’s chances of escaping the Taliban ended the time we near them behind,” said Afghanistan warfare seasoned Matt Zeller, laminitis of No One Left Behind. It's among dozens of grassroots U.S. groups moving to get retired Afghan translators and others who supported Americans.

An estimated 200 foreigners, including Americans, near Afghanistan connected the commercialized formation retired of Kabul connected Thursday with the practice of the Taliban. Ten U.S. citizens and 11 green-card holders made Thursday’s flight, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. Americans organizing charter evacuation flights said they knew of much U.S. passport and green-card holders successful the bluish metropolis of Mazar-e-Sharif and elsewhere awaiting flights out.

In the U.S., National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said Thursday’s formation was the effect of “careful and hard diplomacy and engagement” and said the Taliban “have shown flexibility, and they person been businesslike and nonrecreational successful our dealings with them successful this effort.”

But galore uncertainty the Taliban volition beryllium arsenic accommodating for Afghans who supported the U.S. In Mazar-e-Sharif, a much than weeklong standoff implicit charter planes astatine the airdrome determination has near hundreds of radical — mostly Afghans, but immoderate with American passports and greenish cards — stranded, waiting for Taliban support to leave.

Afghans and their American supporters accidental the Taliban are blocking each passengers successful Mazar-e-Sharif from boarding the waiting charter flights, including those with due question papers.

Zeller pointed to the Taliban assignment this week of a hard-line government. It includes Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is connected the FBI’s most-wanted database with a $5 cardinal bounty for alleged attacks and kidnappings, arsenic interior minister, a presumption putting him successful complaint of granting passports.

The Trump medication each but stopped support of the Afghan peculiar migrant visas, oregon SIVs, successful its last months. The Biden administration, too, was criticized for failing to determination faster connected evacuating Afghans earlier Kabul fell to the Taliban.

The U.S. had besides required immoderate visa-seekers to spell extracurricular the state to apply, a request that became acold much unsafe with the Taliban takeover past month.

“There are each of these large logistical obstacles,” said Betsy Fisher of the International Refugee Assistance Project, which provides ineligible services to SIV applicants. “How volition radical permission Afghanistan?"

She said with nary wide program successful place, the U.S. authorities could upwind up encouraging radical to spell connected risky journeys.

In July, aft Biden welcomed location the archetypal airlift, helium made wide the U.S. would assistance adjacent those Afghans with pending visa applications get retired of Afghanistan “so that they tin hold successful information portion they decorativeness their visa applications.”

Since the subject airlifts ended connected Aug. 30, however, the Biden medication and Taliban person emphasized that Afghans needed passports and visas. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Thursday the medication was looking astatine steps similar physics visas.

Hundreds of Afghans who accidental they are successful information of Taliban reprisals person gathered for much than a week successful Mazar-e-Sharif, waiting for support to committee evacuation flights chartered by U.S. supporters.

Among them was an Afghan who worked for 15 years arsenic a U.S. subject interpreter. He has been moving from edifice to edifice successful Mazar-e-Sharif and moving retired of wealth arsenic he, his 8 children and his woman waited for the OK from the Taliban to leave.

“I’m frightened I volition beryllium near behind,” said the man, whose sanction was withheld by The Associated Press for his safety. “I don’t cognize what the contented is — is it a governmental issue, oregon they don’t attraction astir us?”

The interpreter's visa was approved weeks earlier the past U.S. troops near the country, but helium could not get it stamped into his passport due to the fact that the U.S. Embassy unopen down.

He said Thursday that helium doesn’t spot Taliban assurances that they volition not instrumentality revenge against Afghans who worked for the Americans.

Biden, already criticized for his handling of the evacuation, is being pushed by Democrats and besides connected some sides by Republicans, with immoderate saying he’s not doing capable to assistance America’s erstwhile allies and others that he’s not doing capable to support imaginable threats retired of the U.S.

Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Mike Waltz, some Republicans, said successful a connection that hundreds of those at-risk Afghans and U.S. residents stay “trapped down force lines.” The Biden medication “must supply Congress and the American radical ... with a program to get them safely retired of Afghanistan.”

The Association of War Time Allies estimates tens of thousands of peculiar migrant visa applicants stay successful Afghanistan.

An American national successful New York is trying to get 2 cousins retired of the state who applied for SIVs precocious past twelvemonth and were inactive waiting for support erstwhile the U.S. Embassy unopen down. She said some cousins worked for a U.S. assistance radical for a combined 8 years and are frightened the Taliban volition find them.

“They’re scared, they consciousness abandoned. They enactment their full lives astatine risk, and erstwhile the U.S. was exiting, they were told they would get out,” said the American, Fahima, whose past sanction and the sanction of the assistance radical are being withheld to support her cousins. “Where is the helping hand?”

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Knickmeyer reported from Oklahoma City; Watson from San Diego and Condon from New York.

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