USA: Sec of State Blinken unveils new resettlement programme for Afghans

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Mandatory credit: White House

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on the topic of a new resettlement programme for Afghans during a press conference held in Washington DC on Monday.

The new programme, which has been given the ‘Priority 2’ (P-2) designation, comes at a time of exit of coalition forces from Afghanistan and increasingly heated conflict between Afghan government forces and the Taliban across major cities in the country.

“Afghans who worked with the United States or the International Security Assistance Force at some point since 2001 are facing acute fears of persecution or retribution that will likely grow as coalition forces leave the country,” commented Blinken.

“We have a special responsibility to these individuals, they stood with us and we will stand with them,” added Blinken.

According to Blinken, the new resettlement programme is specifically aimed at Afghans “who assisted the United States but who do not qualify for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs).”

In their commitment to those who qualify for the SIV programme, the US have launched Operation Allies Refuge, which has been flying successful applicants from Afghanistan into the US. Blinken claims that 1,000 families are currently being processed as part of the initiative, which has already ferried across around 400 people.

As part of his comments, Blinken also promised the US would continue negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban “with the goal of a political solution, which we believe is the only path to lasting peace.”

The Biden administration has confirmed that all US military forces will have left the country by August 31.

SOT, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State: “The State Department is announcing a new resettlement programme for Afghans who assisted the United States but who do not qualify for Special Immigrant Visas (SIV). We created a Priority 2 or P-2 designation, granting access to the US Refugees Admissions programme for many of these Afghans and their family members.”

SOT, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State: “Afghans who worked with the United States or the International Security Assistance Force at some point since 2001 are facing acute fears of persecution or retribution that will likely grow as coalition forces leave the country. We have a special responsibility to these individuals, they stood with us and we will stand with them.”

SOT, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State: “The first flight of Operation Allies Refuge arrived in the United States on Friday, the second flight arrived early this morning, together transporting over four hundred people and those flights will continue. We’re now focused on relocating a group of more than one thousand applicants and their families, who have nearly completed processing, around four thousand people in total. Additionally, we’re pursuing third-country agreements so eligible Afghans can be quickly relocated towards safety in another country, while we finish elements of this rigorous vetting process.”

SOT, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State: “The Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) programme is defined carefully by statute and we know that there are Afghans who don’t qualify but who helped us and deserve our help. Some may not have the qualifying employment for the Special Immigrant Visa, for example: They worked for a project funded by the US government but not for the government itself. Some may not have met the minimum time and service requirement, for example employees who began working for us more recently. And some were employed by American media organisations or NGOs doing vital work to support democratic progress in Afghanistan.”

SOT, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State: “Our partnership with the people of Afghanistan will endure long after our service members have departed. We will keep engaging intensely in diplomacy to advance negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban with the goal of a political solution, which we believe is the only path to lasting peace and we’ll keep working closely with countries in the region which all have a stake in a stable, peaceful, democratic Afghanistan.”

SOT, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State: “The Taliban have repeatedly said that they seek, in the future, a number of things: International recognition, international support, they want their leaders to be able to travel freely around the world, they would like sanctions lifted… And none of those things are going to be possible if the Taliban seek to take the country by force and commits the kind of atrocities that have been reported.”

#USA #Afghanistan #Resettlement #USMilitary

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