U.S. President Joe Biden has authorised up to $100 million in emergency aid for refugees from Afghanistan.
The money, which comes from an emergency fund, will be used to meet the “unexpected urgent refugee and migration needs’’ of people in the country, a White House statement said.
The funds will also be available to those who worked with the U.S. military on the ground in Afghanistan and who have applied for special immigrant visas to the U.S.
Despite the recent territorial gains made by the Islamist Taliban, Biden has announced that the Afghanistan mission will end on Aug. 31 – after almost 20 years.
The only U.S. soldiers to remain on the ground after that date will be those protecting the U.S. embassy.
Afghans employed by the U.S. military, such as interpreters, can apply for special immigrant visas for the U.S.
According to experts, anyone known to have worked with the U.S. military faces repercussions from the Taliban once the U.S. withdrawal is complete.
The U.S. State Department announced its intention this week to house a number of Afghan former employees on a military base in the U.S. state of West Virginia.
The first resettlements are scheduled to begin at the end of July.
Some 2,500 Afghans, including their family members, are eligible.
