It is expected that the initial evacuation will be carried out by civilian chartered aircraft and will include Afghans who are waiting for visa applications to be processed, according to sources familiar with the issue.
Psaki said the objective was to get “individuals who are eligible relocated out of the country” in advance of the withdrawal of US troops at the end of August.
The Biden administration has been under pressure from lawmakers of both parties and advocacy groups to begin evacuating thousands of special immigration visa applicants – and their families – who risk retaliation because they worked for the US government.
The special immigrant visa program is available to people who worked with the US government or the US-led military force during the Afghanistan war. A similar program was available for Iraqis who worked with the US government after the 2003 American-led invasion, but no applications were accepted...
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the initial evacuation would include about 2,500 people and that they will probably be housed in US military facilities while visa applications are processed. A final decision has not been made on the bases to be used.
Psaki said she could not provide the number of Afghans who would be in the initial evacuation flights “for operational and security reasons”.
Joe Biden has set a formal end to the US military mission in Afghanistan for 31 August. The US general leading the mission, Austin Miller, relinquished command at a ceremony on Monday, a symbolic end to America’s longest war, which began in late 2001, after the 9/11 attacks on New York and Wash...
“The reason that we are taking these steps is because these are courageous individuals,” Psaki said. “We want to make sure we recognize and value the role they’ve played over the last several years.”
The evacuation, dubbed Operation Allies Refuge, is set to start during the last week of July, the press secretary, Jen Psaki, told a briefing. Fighting between US-backed Afghan forces and the Taliban has surged, with the militants gaining territory and capturing border crossings.
The US will this month begin evacuating from Afghanistan special immigration visa applicants whose lives are at risk because they worked for the US government as translators and in other roles, the White House said on Wednesday.
The American Civil Liberties Union and other disability rights groups filed an amicus brief this week in support of her right to hire her own counsel.
Kevin Wu, another advocate, said he was optimistic that “her freedom is coming soon”, adding: “This is bigger than Britney. There are many people who are under abusive guardianships. The attention on her case will hopefully bring justice for many of these people.”
“It signals that the whole thing is finally crumbling. To me, it’s the true beginning of the end,” said Megan Radford, a longtime #FreeBritney activist in an interview before the hearing. She added that it was troubling that despite her claims of mistreatment and pleas for help, she remaine...
The flurry of resignations and in-fighting since her June testimony has given some hope to advocates with the #FreeBritney movement who have been rallying for termination for years.
It can be a long and difficult process to end conservatorships, but experts say it would be a game changer if Spears retained her own lawyer who could aggressively fight to terminate the arrangement. Jamie Spears andMontgomery have cast blame on each other in court filings.
Conservatorships are typically used for elderly or infirm people who are deemed incapable of making decisions, but disability rights advocates say the process is ripe for abuse. Spears has questioned the merits of the arrangement, noting that she has continued to have a successful career while b...
Rosengart questioned the fundamental merits of the arrangement, suggesting Spears should not have been placed in a permanent conservatorship in 2008 and saying his law firm would be investigating the origins.