they have been able to isolate kabul faster and more effectively than some of the most dire assessments indicated they might be able to do. they re on kabul s doorstep. they have taken gazni. and the biggest concern here, the worst case scenario that the military and the u.s. government is concerned about, is that if they start to threaten kabul and they re able to march in theyly go straight for the airport. once they take the airport, then any americans who are there and anyone available for the siv program will not be able to leave there. there is another 3500 to 4,000 of immediate reaction force
i would refer you to my state department colleagues to speak to it. combat deployment. it s insulting for americans watching. i disagree,lucas. i don t think it s insulting and i m not sure i share that sentiment at all. this is deploying into kabul. you tell me this isn t combat? lucas, what i m telling you is and i ve said it before they will have the ability to defend themselves. they will be armed. of course. they re going for a security mission. they re going for a narrowly defined mission to secure and safeguard the movement of civilian personnel and special immigrants. that s the goal. not a combat mission? being clear here, i m responding to e-mails i m getting from people in afghanistan. this is a narrowly defined mission to, as you said, for our diplomatic personnel and those in the siv program.
department colleagues why don t you call this a combat deployment? it s insulting for americans i don t think it s insulting. i m not sure i share this is a deployment. you re telling me the marines are strapping it on and this is not combat? i m telling you and s said it before, they have the ability to defend themselves. they ll be armed. of course, they re going for a security mission. they re going for a narrowly defined mission and help safeguard the movement of the personnel and special immigrants there, men and women and their families applying under that process. that s the goal. it s not a combat mission? i m being clear here. i m responding to e-mails i m getting from people in afghanistan. this is a narrowly defined mission as you said for our diplomatic personnel and those in the siv program. it s not for any other individuals who are not afghans
deployment? it s insulting for americans. i disagree. i don t think it s insulting and i m not sure i share that sentiment at all. this is deploying into kabul. are you telling me that the marines and soldiers about to strap ongoing to kabul aren t saying this is combat? they will have to ability to defend themselves. they will be armed. of course they re going for a security mission. they re going for a narrowly defined mission to safeguard the movement of these civilian pen nell as well as the movement of special immigrants, men and women and their families who are applying under that process. it s not a combat mission. that s the goal. i m being clear here i m responding to emails i m getting from people in afghanistan. this s a narrowly defined mission to, as you just said, for our diplomatic personnel and those in the siv program. it is not for any other individuals who are in the afghans in kabul who may have
resettle here as refugees, among the categories of individuals who could qualify for this new p2 status are current and former employees of u.s.-based news organizations, so media outlets, u.s.-based aid and development agencies, relief groups that receive u.s. funding, and u.s. government and nato operations, people who supported those. this actually meets one of the major criticisms that we ve heard from members of congress, and that is the bureaucratic holdups surrounding employment verification. in order to be eligible for a special imgrant visa, as you know from your reporting, you need to have worked for the u.s. government, whether it s the military or state department for two years, and then you need to be able to verify that. with this new p2 designation, these individuals would be able to sort of skip that step. but there is one huge, huge difference from the siv program with the p2. that is these individuals have to get out of the country, get out of afghanistan with their