Afghanistan Civilian casualties in Afghanistan on the rise: US rescues former workers on evacuation flights, smugglers assist Europeans in Turkey

The United States is opening a new refugee program for Afghan workers. However, the processing of visa applications is slow and not all Afghans can contact their former colleagues who have fled the country.

In Afghanistan the fighting over the weekend has intensified further with the jihadist organization The Taliban has sought to infiltrate important cities of Herat, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar. Afghan security forces, with U.S. support, tried to prevent the Islamist organization from entering the cities through air strikes. Increased airstrikes are also a threat to the civilian population.

President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani on Monday accused the United States of rapidly collapsing its security situation. The United States has decided to withdraw its troops that have fought in Afghanistan for two decades by the end of August.

The withdrawal of U.S. troops began in early May, and since then the Islamist organization Taliban has quickly conquered the territories for themselves.

“Our current situation is the result of a sudden withdrawal of international forces,” President Ghani said in a speech to Parliament, according to news agencies.

Back in April, Ghani told the U.S. media In an interview with CNNthat he supports the U.S. decision to withdraw troops.

 

 

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (right) spoke at the country’s parliament building on Monday, August 2th.

War has become increasingly dangerous to the people of Afghanistan since May. The number of civilian casualties in the first half of this year has increased by 80 percent compared to the same period last year, according to a report released by The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission on Sunday. The issue was reported in the Afghan media, among others Tolo News.

During the first half of the year, 1,677 civilians were killed and 3,644 civilians were injured in the war in Afghanistan. Of the 373 killed and 1,083 injured, there were children. At the same time last year, 1,213 civilian casualties were killed and 1,744 wounded.

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The biggest threat to Afghans is the Taliban, which is responsible for 56 percent of civilian casualties. Government forces, in turn, have caused 15 percent and jihadist Isis seven percent of civilian casualties. In the remaining cases, the culprit is not clear.

Afghanistan as the security situation deteriorates, international organizations have also called on the United States to take responsibility for the situation. The United States focuses its resources primarily on protecting Afghans who served in its military.

The United States issues special visas to these Afghans and their families. These are, in particular, Afghans who have worked as translators and interpreters for the armed forces. It is estimated that up to 100,000 people, including family members, are eligible for visas.

Last Thursday, the U.S. Congress unanimously approved $ 1.1 billion in funding for the evacuation of Afghans eligible for special visas. The first evacuation flight to transport Afghan workers to safety also landed in the United States on Friday.

The White House published on the subject of the President Joe Biden opinion.

“Above all, I want to thank these brave Afghans for standing by the United States. Today, I am proud to say to them: welcome home. ”

 

U.S. troops arrived at Bagram Air Base in March 2002. Now international troops are withdrawing from Afghanistan by the end of August.

 

U.S. troops arrived at Bagram Air Base in March 2002. Now international troops are withdrawing from Afghanistan by the end of August.

The Biden administration also plans to launch another refugee program for Afghan workers, Reuters reported on Monday. Through it, Afghans working on NGO and media projects funded or launched by the US, for example, would be eligible for visas.

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Similar openings have come from other countries. The Czech Republic, for example, has launched a refugee program for its army for locals working in Afghanistan. According to Czech media, the decision affects about 30 people.

International the sudden withdrawal of troops makes it difficult to evacuate locals. Several The New Yorker magazine the Afghans interviewed who worked for the foreign troops felt that they had been left to fend for themselves in the situation. Many feared for their lives and their families.

According to the newspaper, there are still about 20,000 locals in Afghanistan whose visa applications are being processed in the United States. Processing times are long, and applications require, among other things, a letter of recommendation from the instructor. However, many have not been able to contact their former colleagues since the withdrawal of the troops.

One young man aspiring to the United States said his previous visa application had been rejected after a three-year wait in 2019 because he had not been caught by the military authority that guided him. Now the man had been trying to reach out to his new director on social media via Facebook, Linkedin and Instagram. No answer had been heard.

“The unpleasant truth is that it is impossible to evacuate anyone threatened by Taliban revenge,” The New Yorker summed up.

 

Human rights activists protest against the deportation of Afghans at Düsseldorf Airport in Germany in September 2017. This summer, activists in Germany have demanded that return flights to Afghanistan be stopped due to the deteriorating security situation.

 

Human rights activists protest against the deportation of Afghans at Düsseldorf Airport in Germany in September 2017. This summer, activists in Germany have demanded that return flights to Afghanistan be stopped due to the deteriorating security situation.

In Afghanistan not only the locals who worked for the foreign troops are afraid for their lives. Others also want to escape.

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According to the monitoring organization, less than a third of civilians die in targeted attacks. Others are destined for roadside mines and car bombs, for example.

The emergency has been reflected in an increased queue in front of the Kabul Passport Office.

Read more: There is an office in Kabul with a queue in front of you every morning: Thousands apply for a passport to escape the Taliban attack

Not everyone has a legal escape. That is why some people are willing to pay thousands of euros for smugglers who take them to Iran. From there, Afghan refugees going to Turkey.

An estimated one thousand Afghans now arrive in Turkey via Iran every day, reports The Economist. In total, according to the newspaper, there are already between 200,000 and 600,000 Afghans living in Turkey, most of whom have arrived in the country in the last decade.

Many the final destination for Afghan refugees is Europe. However, some European politicians are not ready to accept refugees into their country.

For example, the Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said a German newspaper just over a week ago In Bild’s interviewthat Turkey is a “more suitable place” for Afghan refugees than, for example, Germany, Austria or Sweden.

The output angered the Turkish Foreign Minister, who said in a statement, that Turkey does not intend to receive a new “wave of immigration” or be a “European refugee camp”. The European Union has paid Turkey billions to prevent refugees from entering Europe.

However, according to The Economist, no share of this money has been earmarked for Afghan refugees. Indeed, Afghans are more vulnerable in Turkey than Syrians. Only a small percentage of Afghans are safe from the threat of conversion. Some have not registered at all, while others have had their asylum applications rejected.

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