Pact renewed with US to relocate Afghan allies

KABUL (Pajhwok): A veterans-led organization (Afghan Evac) and the US State Department have renewed their agreement to work together to continue relocating Afghans through 2024.

The renewed agreement comes nearly two years after the US military withdrew from Afghanistan and thousands of Afghan allies were left behind,

“To me, it’s a message that they’re in this for the long haul,” Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and president of #AfghanEvac, an umbrella organization for hundreds of nongovernmental groups that helped with the evacuation, told Military.com on Monday. “They’re not trying to make this go away.”

VanDiver also expressed hope that the public accolades from top officials would reinvigorate the veterans and other volunteers who have been “breaking themselves” trying to help their Afghan allies.

VanDiver was speaking ahead of a Monday afternoon ceremony at the National Museum of American Diplomacy in Washington, D.C., where he and Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed a memorandum of understanding that extends the #AfghanEvac coalition’s partnership with the State Department through December 2024.

While the 2021 evacuation airlifted tens of thousands of Afghans out, thousands more who helped the US military during the war were estimated to be left behind.

Since the withdrawal ended in August 2021, more than 24,000 Afghans have been relocated to the US or other countries, Blinken said Monday.

During Monday’s ceremony, the State Department credited the partnership with #AfghanEvac for several improvements in relocation efforts, including streamlining the process to apply for what’s known as a Special Immigrant Visa and creating a pathway to reunify families that were separated during the evacuation.

“Many of you are veterans,” Blinken told the coalition members at the ceremony. “This wasn’t a question of whether you would help, but how. You’ve risen to the challenge with incredible integrity and persistence at every step along the way. And quite honestly, it’s your expertise, it’s your ideas, it’s your local networks that have made all the difference.”

While Monday was a celebration of accomplishments, VanDiver also stressed that much remains to be done. He called on administration officials to further speed up relocations and streamline the Special Immigrant Visa process, as well as provide more resources for the resettlement agencies helping Afghans find new homes.

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