Afghans who helped US troops to be airlifted out of country

Fearing Taliban revenge, ‘Operation Allies Refuge’ will airlift thousands of Afghans awaiting visas to US bases.

The United States is launching Operation Allies Refuge to airlift thousands of Afghan nationals who helped US and NATO forces during the 20-year Western occupation of Afghanistan as the Taliban advances, White House and US embassy officials in Kabul said. Flights for those already in a US visa application process will begin in the last week of July, according to the US embassy. “The US Embassy will coordinate with the State Department to support Operation Allies Refuge,” said Ambassador Ross Wilson, the US Chargé d’Affaires in Kabul.