Turkey slams US statement on planned resettlement of Afghans

Ankara says Washington’s plan to take in Afghans through third countries could cause a new regional migration crisis.

The Turkish government has criticised a US plan to use third countries such as Turkey to resettle thousands of Afghans who risk being targeted by Taliban fighters over their Washington links, saying the move would cause a “great migration crisis” in the region. Weeks before the US is set to complete the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan after 20 years of war, its Department of State on Monday announced a new programme under which certain categories of Afghans will have a chance to resettle as refugees in the US. The scheme covers interpreters and translators who worked with US forces, Afghans involved with US-funded projects and those employed by US-based NGOs or media organisations. Afghans in the programme would have to make their own way to a third country, where they will wait 12 to 14 months for their application to be processed.