Photo: WAKIL KOHSAR / AFP / Getty Images
By: EFE
Sunday, September 22
US takes control of Kabul airport traffic in Afghanistan for evacuations
The United States took over the reins of air traffic control at Kabul Airport in Afghanistan to facilitate their evacuations and those of his allies, and promised to speed up the departure of thousands of Afghans who assisted his troops during the war.
“The US forces have already assumed the responsibilities of air traffic control at the airport, with the help of Afghan allies,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told EFE.
He added that commercial aircraft traffic from that airport “continues, although it has experienced some sporadic interruptions and delays. ”
Shortly before, the The Pentagon and the State Department had announced in a joint statement that they were preparing to “take over the control of traffic at éreo ”at the airport, without confirming yet that they had already done so.
The objective of this measure is ensure the security of Kabul International Airport, in order to “allow the safe departure of American personnel and its allies in Afghanistan, in civilian and military aircraft “, indicated that statement.
Kirby specified that the United States has already evacuated “several hundred civilians, including personnel (from its embassy) and US citizens” who were in Afghanistan.
To reinforce that operation , the Pentagon authorized this Sunday the shipment of 1, 000 more soldiers to Kabul, which means that, within 48 hours, there will be “approximately 6, 000 ”US military at the airport in the Afghan capital , confirm mó Kirby.
Of those, about 3, 000 were already on the ground in Kabul this Sunday, he said.
The main objective of the US evacuation mission is to evacuate “thousands” of US citizens and the 4, 000 employees who worked for the US embassy in Kabul, whose headquarters moved to Kabul airport this Sunday after the Taliban siege.
The State Department and the Pentagon also promised to remove “other particularly vulnerable Afghan citizens” from the country, and “accelerate the evacuation of thousands of Afghans who meet the requirements for obtaining a special US immigrant visa. ”
The US government promised weeks ago that, before the end of August and with it its withdrawal Afghanistan’s military, would help evacuate up to 70, 000 Afghan citizens, including interpreters and other workers who helped US troops during the war, along with their families.
In its note this Sunday, the State Department recalled that “2, 000 of them have already arrived in the United States in the last two weeks ”, and he assured that those visa applicants Afghans who have already completed “security checks” will be “transferred directly” to US territory.
The US Government “will find additional places” to relocate to those who have not yet completed that process, to wait there to finish those procedures before traveling to the US, the statement concludes.
The process to obtain this visa is complex and can take years, so the United States has negotiated with third countries, such as Qatar or Kuwait, to try to temporarily host these refugees.
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said this Sunday to CNN that Washington would also help evacuate other Afghans who do not qualify for special visas, but who supported their staff and now they can face threats from the Taliban.
However, the rapid fall of Kabul into the hands of the insurgents has complicated that evacuation operation, especially for those who have difficulty reaching the Afghan capital.
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