Scores of Afghans have left for the US after their visas were processed in the Philippines Nearly 200 Afghan nationals have been flown on to the United States after their special immigration visas were processed in the Philippines as part of an agreement between Manila and Washington, the U.S. Embassy in Manila said Sunday.
The Afghans primarily worked for the U.S. government in Afghanistan or were deemed eligible for U.S. special immigrant visas but were left behind when U.S. and NATO forces withdrew from Afghanistan after 20 years of war in August 2021 as the Taliban seized power.
In July, the Philippines agreed to temporarily host a U.S. immigrant visa processing center for the Afghan nationals although there were concerns over security due to threats faced by some of the Afghans trying to flee from the Taliban rule.
The Afghans left the Philippines in several groups on commercial flights last week after completing their application process for resettlement in the U.S., according to the embassy spokesperson Kanishka Gangopadhyay.
Biden discussed the Afghan resettlement issue with Philippines leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. when he visited the U.S. last year, Philippine officials said.
