US to evacuate thousands of Afghan interpreters who helped American forces
- Evacuation planning could potentially affect tens of thousands of Afghans
- US announcement comes amid a Taliban offensive across the country
Thousands of interpreters who aided US and Nato forces in Afghanistan will be evacuated beginning in late July, Washington announced.
But their destinations were still unknown and there are lingering questions about how to ensure their safety until they can get on planes.
In what the White House dubbed Operation Allies Refuge, the interpreters and their families were likely to be taken first to US overseas military bases or possibly third countries before resettlement in the United States or elsewhere.
Many fear retaliation by the Taliban, who are seeking to regain control of the government in Kabul after the departure of US troops before the end of August.
There are an estimated 18,000 people – interpreters, translators, and others who worked with US forces – who would qualify for evacuation. With their families, it could potentially take the total number of evacuees to 80,000 or more.