''We can't do enough'': Lawmakers flooded by evacuation pleas
The Hindu
More than 1,09,000 people have been evacuated since the Taliban takeover on August 14, in one of the largest U.S. airlifts in history
Tissue holders sit atop the conference table where the Congressman's aides field frantic requests from constituents desperate for help in getting friends and loved ones out of Afghanistan before it's too late. The stories have poured in by the thousands with heartbreaking pleas not to be left behind. The tissues are used for crying breaks, one of the aides explained. “The hardest part is just the sense of helplessness," said Representative Eric Swalwell, D-California. “We're seeing all of this, you know, anxiety, and we can't do enough” she added. Across the county, the offices of members of Congress have become makeshift crisis centers, flooded with requests for help getting people onto one of the last flights leaving the Kabul airport before President Joe Biden's deadline of August 31 for the withdrawal of all U.S. military forces out of Afghanistan. More than 1,09,000 people have been evacuated since the Taliban takeover on August 14, in one of the largest U.S. airlifts in history. The work could hardly be more urgent or dangerous, as August 26 suicide bombing attack killing 13 U.S. service member and injuring 18 demonstrated. Some 169 Afghans were also killed and scores more wounded.More Related News