Pentagon to house Afghans at Fort Lee in Virginia

Fort Lee in Virginia is chosen as the first stop in U.S for housing Afghans as a part of the operation Allies refuge. The Biden administration will house 2,500 Afghans under the operation Allies refuge.The Afghans who have passed the screening for special immigrant visas will be allowed to relocate to the new location. The immigrants include the ones who worked with the U.S troops in Afghanistan and their family members.

The families are in the final stages of the SIV process, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. He stated, the Fort Lee in Virginia would be a temporary location that will be used for housing Afghans will be resettled after a while. Kirby declined to reveal other locations.

The State Department Spokesman, Ned Price said, the U.S military has activated a task force including experts from different government agencies who will take the qualified applicants once the SIV process is complete.Around 4,000 applicants have received approvals from the lower number of agencies for visas. The Biden administration plans to take the individuals to safe locations and provide accommodations lasting for several months.

Ned Price said, agency is trying to reduce the processing time. The administration is including additional number of employees to help complete the process as soon as possible. The U.S officials are reviewing the military installations in the Persian Gulf region to provide accommodations to the interpreters.The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Mark R. Warner applauded the efforts of the administration for bringing the approved applicants to Virginia. Warner urged the administration to take swift actions to help thousands of such applicants. Virginia earlier has housed many such individuals who have risked their lives for the nation, Warner said.