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Updated November 10th, 2021 at 15:51 IST

US 'working to expedite' departure of Afghan evacuees from Tajikistan: John Kirby

John Kirby said that the US Embassy in Tajikistan is "working to expedite" the departure of the Afghan people, including pilots who remain in Tajikistan.

Reported by: Apoorva Kaul
Pentagon
Image: AP | Image:self
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The Biden administration is looking to evacuate approximately 191 Afghan evacuees, including pilots who fled to nearby Tajikistan after the Taliban takeover. Speaking at a press briefing, US Defence Department Spokesperson John Kirby said that the US Embassy in Tajikistan is "working to expedite" the departure of Afghan evacuees from the country. After the Taliban takeover in mid-August, Afghan evacuees including pilots fled to Tajikistan in a bid to save their lives. 

US to evacuate Afghans from Tajikistan

Addressing a press briefing, US Defence Department Spokesperson John Kirby confirmed that a group of approximately 191 Afghan evacuees including pilots are in Tajikistan. Furthermore, he informed that the US Embassy is making efforts to expedite their departure from Tajikistan.

"What I can confirm is that a group of approximately 191 Afghan evacuees, including pilots, remain in Tajikistan, and our embassy there is working to expedite their departure.  We expect that they'll be able to depart Tajikistan soon, but we are not in control the timeline," John Kirby told reporters.

Approximately 150 military pilots have been detained for over three months by the authorities in Tajikistan. Following the Taliban takeover, the military pilots had crossed the border from Afghanistan to nearby Tajikistan in order to save their lives, ANI reported citing Sputnik. After the Taliban gained control of Afghanistan on August 15, the international community started evacuating their citizens from the war-ravaged nation.

Biden administration to waive filing fee for Afghan migrants

The US Department of Homeland Security on November 8, announced that the Joe Biden administration intends to waive filing fees and streamline application processing for up to 70,000 Afghan migrants who are resettled in the United States, according to DHS press release. Since the evacuation from Afghanistan in August, US immigration has been resettling thousands of people in the United States, many of whom worked with the US. The Biden administration has now planned to exempt Afghan migrants from paying a fee for the application to obtain authorisation to work in the country. According to DHS, Afghans who were paroled into the US on or after July 30 are eligible for fee exemptions.

"By providing these evacuees with access to streamlined processing and fee exemptions, we will open doors of opportunity for our Afghan allies and help them begin to rebuild their lives in communities across our country more quickly," Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N Mayorkas said in the press release.

(With inputs from ANI)

(Image: AP)

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Published November 10th, 2021 at 15:51 IST

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