Biden administration expands Afghan refugee program to thousands more as Taliban violence increases ahead of the US military pullout

Afghan citizens who worked with some US groups but do not meet the Special Immigrant Visa Requirements are now eligible for the P-2 refugee program
The State Department made the announcement on Monday morning
Nationals who worked with US news organizations or relief groups can apply
The move will mean 'many thousands' of Afghans and their immediate families will have the opportunity to be permanently resettled in the U.S. as refugees
Tens of thousands of Afghan translators expressed interest in the SIV program
The Kabul Embassy issued 5,000 SIVs this year, with 221 brought to US recently
It comes as the Taliban is on the verge of taking a major Afghan city

By Elizabeth Elkind, Political Reporter For Dailymail.Com and Associated Press

Published: 11:03 BST, 2 August 2021 | Updated: 16:10 BST, 2 August 2021

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken will discuss his department's announcement Monday afternoon (pictured in Kuwait on July 29)

The Biden administration is ramping up efforts to evacuate at-risk Afghan citizens as Taliban violence increases ahead of the withdrawal of all foreign forces by September, the State Department announced Monday.

Afghans who worked with certain US-based organizations and relief groups that receive US funding but did not meet the requirements for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) will now be eligible to apply to the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)

'The US objective remains a peaceful, secure Afghanistan. However, in light of increased levels of Taliban violence, the US government is working to provide certain Afghans, including those who worked with the United States, the opportunity for refugee resettlement to the United States,' a State Department statement read.

The State Department said the move will mean that 'many thousands' of Afghans and their immediate families will now have the opportunity to be permanently resettled in the US as refugees. It did not offer a more specific number of those who might be eligible for the program.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to make remarks on the expansion Monday afternoon.

The SIV program for Afghan translators is open to Afghanistan nationals who worked with the US military for at least one year and obtained written recommendation from a US Armed Forces or embassy official.

Applying to the SIV program could potentially take years. The State Department said recently that of 20,000 people in the visa pipeline, about 10,000 have only just started.

But under the recent announcement, Afghans who did not meet those requirements but 'may be at risk due to their US affiliation' are now eligible for the USRAP's P-2 designation, referring to 'groups of special concern' to whom the Biden administration is granting 'access to the program by virtue of their circumstances and apparent need for resettlement.'

The Biden administration on Monday expanded its efforts to evacuate at-risk Afghan citizens from Afghanistan as Taliban violence increases ahead of the U.S. military pullout at the end of the month. An empty Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan is pictured in this file image

Former workers who had been employed with U.S. troops at the Bagram airbase hold placards during a demonstration against the U.S. government in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, July, 9, 2021

Those include people who are current and former employees of US-based news organizations, US-based aid and development agencies and other US-funded groups.

Current and former employees of the US government and the NATO military operation who don´t meet the criteria for a dedicated program for such workers are also covered.

To qualify for the Priority 2 category, Afghans must be nominated by a US government agency or by the most senior civilian US citizen employee of a US-based media outlet or nongovernmental organization.

The first group of Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants - most of whom served as translators or did other work for US troops or diplomats - who have cleared security vetting arrived in the US on Friday in Joe Biden's Operation Allies Refuge.

That group of 221 people are among 2,500 who will be brought to the US in the coming days.

Another 4,000 SIV applicants, plus their families, who have not yet cleared the security screening are expected to be relocated to third countries ahead of the completion of the US withdrawal.

The Biden administration's expansion for Afghan refugees comes amid increased Taliban violence in the country (pictured: Humvees that belong to Afghan Special Forces are seen destroyed during heavy clashes with Taliban during the rescue mission of a police officer besieged at a check post, in Kandahar province, July 13)

The Taliban now controls 223 districts across Afghanistan while the government controls 68, according to nonprofit Long War Journal (pictured: Members of the Afghan Special Forces tend to an Afghan National Army soldier injured during a firefight with Taliban in Kandahar province on July 12)

Roughly 20,000 Afghans have expressed interest in the program.

As of Sunday the Taliban now controls several districts of Lashkar Gah, the capital city of Afghanistan's Helmand province which the Taliban has not occupied since 2001, CNN reports.

If successfully taken by the extremist group Lashkar Gah would be the first capital lost by the Afghan government, with concerns Kabul could fall in the near future.

The Taliban now controls 223 districts across the conflict-ridden country. The government only controls 68 and 116 are contested, according to nonprofit Long War Journal.