The administration of US President Joe Biden announced in April that the US would complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan by 11 September 2021. However, Afghans who have been helping the US military all these years, fearing retaliation, have been seeking special immigrant visas (SIV) in a process that has been riddled with backlogs.
As the 11 September deadline for all US troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan draws nearer, and media reports claim the emboldened Taliban* fighters have been availing themselves of the situation to gain ground, thousands of Afghans who were employed by the American military throughout the years are seeking Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) to escape retaliation.
Having worked with the CIA, the State Department, the Army and the Marines in capacities ranging from translators and interpreters on the frontlines of the battle with insurgents to cooks, drivers and cultural advisors, the almost 18,000 Afghans now fear for their lives, as their entry into the US is bogged down in an application backlog.
