A bipartisan group of former national security officials, diplomats and lawmakers are urging President Biden to extend the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan beyond August 31st to help evacuate vulnerable Afghans, regardless of their immigration status.
Why it matters: Biden has vowed to keep U.S. forces in Afghanistan as long as it takes to get all Americans out, but has also said that his goal is to complete that mission by the end of the month.
- But Biden will be under domestic and international pressure to extend that deadline and do more for Afghan nationals, both those who helped the U.S. military and are awaiting Special Immigrant Visas (SIV), as well as those who worked for nongovernmental organizations to help promote American values.
- “No flight out of Kabul should have empty seats,” the former officials say.
Driving the news: In a letter organized by members of the Truman National Security Project, over 300 former officials are writing to President Biden and Congress to make “an urgent appeal to save our Afghan allies who we have depended on and whose lives now depend on us.”
- “As national security and human rights experts who have served as diplomats, humanitarians, frontline civilians, elected officials, and in uniform, we implore you to use every power vested in your offices to act.”
- The signees, including 53 former ambassadors, are demanding that the administration help people who “share our democratic values” escape from the Taliban.
- “They are journalists, activists, academics, and colleagues to U.S. and foreign government officials.”
The big picture: In addition to finding and evacuating U.S. citizens throughout the country, Biden...