Leaked Document Shows Tiny Fraction of Evacuees from Afghanistan Are Americans: Report
A leaked State Department cable revealed less than 7 percent of Monday’s Afghanistan evacuees were Americans, as the Biden administration continues to airlift thousands of refugees while U.S. citizens remain trapped in the nation controlled by the Taliban, according to a new report.
“NEW: Leaked State cable with evacuation numbers (as of Aug 23 at 1500 ET): Total manifested since midnight Kabul AUG 23: 483 AMCITS, 6,425 Afghans natls, 8 3rd country/unknown. Total = 6,916,” Politico reporter Alex Ward tweeted on Tuesday.
“Total manifested since op began: 4,407 AMCITS, 21,533 Afghans, 642 TCNs. Total = 26,582,” he added.
NEW: Leaked State cable with evacuation numbers (as of Aug 23 at 1500 ET):
Total manifested since midnight Kabul AUG 23: 483 AMCITS, 6,425 Afghans natls, 8 3rd country/unknown. Total = 6,916
Total manifested since op began: 4,407 AMCITS, 21,533 Afghans, 642 TCNs. Total = 26,582
— Alex Ward (@alexbward) August 24, 2021
Ward also tweeted plans for flights over the next 48 hours.
Other items in cable:
• 128 planned flights in the next 48 hours
• Approx 13,000 people inside HKIA
• Denmark won’t temp host US SIVs
• Cyprus will host evacuees in the “low hundreds” for 30-60 days
• Netherlands to take 2k people for 60 days— Alex Ward (@alexbward) August 24, 2021
Another post added that 13,000 Afghan refugees are expected to be housed at Fort Bliss, a military base near America’s southern border in El Paso, Texas.
US official on #s diff: DOD #s “include coalition and charter flights, which they help facilitate.” State “numbers to date have not, as [State] does not play a role in these operations” & DOD #s “include contractors, US direct hires, & other USG personnel” while State doesn’t
— Alex Ward (@alexbward) August 24, 2021
The startling information reveals only 7 percent of the previous day’s evacuees were Americans. In addition, Politico reported there were 4,293 American citizens of the total 25,091 evacuees from Afghanistan, revealing just 17 percent of all evacuees in the operation so far have been American citizens.
Though a CBS News/YouGov poll released Sunday revealed 81 percent of Americans asked believe the U.S. should help its allies in Afghanistan, the numbers show a wide disparity between the number of Afghan refugees and American citizens airlifted by the military.
Some Americans are also concerned over the number of Afghan refugees that will be living on U.S. military bases. Reports on Monday revealed Afghan refugees will be housed at multiple U.S. military bases, including Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey.
“Pentagon: Afghan refugees will be housed at McGuire AFB in New Jersey, in addition to Fort McCoy in Wis., Fort Bliss in Texas and Fort Lee, Va.,” Lucas Tomlinson, the Pentagon correspondent for Fox News, tweeted.
Pentagon: Afghan refugees will be housed at McGuire AFB in New Jersey, in addition to Fort McCoy in Wis., Fort Bliss in Texas and Fort Lee, Va.
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) August 23, 2021
“US military installations at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, Fort Lee, Virginia, Joint Base McGuire-Dix, Lakehurst, New Jersey, and Fort Bliss, Texas are taking Afghans as they come into the US for further processing,” CNN reported.
“[F]ive flights with approximately 1,300 passengers landed at Dulles International Airport near Washington, DC, in the past day,” according to deputy director of the Joint Regional Operations Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor.
“As the crisis in Kabul unfolds and other nations have grown wary of housing large numbers of Afghan evacuees, the U.S. has begun taking a harder look at its own facilities in the U.S. and overseas,” The Wall Street Journal reported.
“Dulles International Airport, outside of Washington, D.C., is expected to become the central processing site for a surge of Afghan evacuees, officials said.”
“Pentagon officials are preparing at least one more U.S. base, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, to begin to receive Afghan refugees,” WSJ added.
“A tent city is being erected at the New Jersey base and medical supplies, food, water, restrooms, lighting and other equipment are being installed there now, officials said,” the outlet reported. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is located south of Trenton, New Jersey.
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