First Afghan Interpreters Arrive in Virginia
More than 200 Afghans are expected to spend a week at Fort Lee before being resettled.
The first planeload of Afghan interpreters who helped American troops in combat has arrived in the United States.
More than 200 Afghans, including family members of people who worked with U.S. forces, were on the first flight out of Afghanistan to Virginia, said Russ Travers, the deputy homeland security advisor on the National Security Council. But more than 2,000 other interpreters and dependents have completed most or all of the security screening and are still awaiting their trip to the United States.
WASHINGTON
The first group of Afghan interpreters and contractors who aided U.S. military and diplomatic missions arrived in the U.S. overnight Thursday. The flight was part of a frantic Biden administration effort to evacuate thousands of people potentially facing retribution in Afghanistan from a resurgent Taliban amid the withdrawal of American forces.
But the 200 or so individuals on the initial flight from Kabul amount to just a fraction of the tens of thousands of Afghans increasingly desperate to flee their country amid rising violence.
They arrived overnight in Dulles, Va., just outside Washington, according to the FlightAware tracking service. They will next head to Ft. Lee, an Army base in central Virginia, where they’ll remain for a week while undergoing security and medical screenings, before they are resettled across the country. About 2,500 Afghans are set to arrive in the U.S. in the coming weeks, the administration said. Of those, roughly 700 worked as inte
By Kylie Atwood, Jennifer Hansler and Nicole Gaouette, CNN
The first group of translators and interpreters who helped US soldiers and diplomats in Afghanistan arrived in the US on Friday, even as thousands more wait in Afghanistan in increasing fear of Taliban reprisals.
The first group of approved Afghan applicants for a Special Immigrant Visa touched down and traveled to Fort Lee, Virginia, on Friday, according to the Biden administration. The flight carried about 200 people, including applicants and their families, part of a priority group of 700 Afghan SIV applicants who have completed the majority of the background process required to get a visa. Along with their families, they number about 2,500.
Afghan Interpreter Evacuation Flight Arrives in US
30 Jul 2021, 18:35 GMT+10
WASHINGTON - A special flight for some 200 Afghans who qualify for Special Immigrant Status (SIV) arrived in the United States on Friday as part of an operation to evacuate those who provided help to the U.S. government.
White House officials announced Operation Allies Refuge on July 14, saying it would evacuate Afghan interpreters and others who assisted the U.S. government during the war, along with their families, who now fear retaliation from the Taliban.
Senior Deputy Homeland Security Adviser Russ Travers of the National Security Council told reporters that the flight represents the fulfillment of the U.S. commitment and honors these Afghans brave service in helping support our mission.