Tens of thousands of Afghans are still waiting on American army bases after the chaotic flight from their homeland until they are accommodated somewhere. Unfortunately, that is being delayed by the medical and security screenings that refugees have to undergo, writes The New York Times.
Last month, the US and other countries carried out a massive air evacuation in the Afghan capital, Kabul. This happened after the extremist Taliban reached the city after a lightning strike. Western countries evacuated civilians and former Afghan employees who were at risk on a large scale.
There are still about 49,000 evacuees at eight army bases on American soil, the newspaper quotes from internal government documents. Another 18,000 people are housed on US bases abroad. Some people stay there for a few weeks, but most evacuees have to wait longer.
That delay also has to do with a small-scale outbreak of measles. At least seven Afghans were found to have the infectious disease. THEREFORE, the US government is temporarily not allowing Afghans to fly to the US from foreign military bases.
“All flights have been suspended due to measles,” a Pentagon spokesman confirmed. The number of corona infections among Afghan evacuees is not that bad, as concluded from a government document dated 10 September. It is also unclear how many Afghans have tested positive for the virus after their evacuation.
Many evacuees arrived at Dulles International Airport in the state of Virginia. There, hospitals have complained to the national government that the pressure on healthcare is increasing because many Afghans need medical help.
Before the Afghans can move to a new place of residence in the US, they must first be vaccinated against all kinds of diseases. This is happening at military bases in the US and will soon also happen at foreign bases.