Washington, DC – Over the past week, we’ve watched with sadness and deep concern, alongside the rest of the world, as countless individuals attempt to the flee the Taliban – this includes U.S. embassy staff and citizens, but also Afghans who have put their lives at risk to work with the U.S. and our allies, the families of these Afghan partners, and other populations at high risk of persecution from the Taliban.
We commend President Biden and his administration for the more than 14,000 people who have been evacuated thus far. Acting Ambassador Ross Wilson and his team and U.S. troops on the ground have been doing heroic work and saved many lives. And we must continue to do more to save lives that today hang in the balance. We appreciate the President’s pledge to stay in Afghanistan until all Americans and our partners are evacuated, even if that means staying beyond the August 31 deadline.
Our Afghan partners served bravely alongside U.S. service members, civilians, partner organizations, media, and our NATO allies. We cannot abandon them now. As a country, we have the responsibility to save lives and evacuate as many as possible.
We further call on the Biden administration to make good on America’s enduring commitment to human rights, the rights of women and girls, and humanitarianism by making a bold commitment to resettle in the U.S. not only Afghans who worked closely with the U.S. Government and its implementing partners, but at least 200,000 Afghans at risk of violence or persecution. We also call on the United States to work in with our G7 partners to continue to provide humanitarian assistance to vulnerable Afghans, particularly women and girls, through the U.N. and trusted partner NGOs, and to use our diplomatic presence in the region to support displaced populations and host communities.
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