US House passes bill to provide 8,000 special visas for Afghans

US to evacuate thousands of Afghans and their families amid fears of Taliban retaliation.

The United States House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to authorize 8,000 special visas for Afghans who served the US during the occupation of Afghanistan now coming to an end after 20 years. The bill, which now goes to the US Senate, would expand special visa eligibility to families of Afghans who were killed working for the US and for employees of non-governmental organisations. The Taliban is threatening to take over Afghanistan after US and NATO forces leave at the end of August and have won battlefield advances across half the country, seizing local districts and key border crossings amid slow peace talks.