The United States paid tribute to Albania, Canada, Chile, Mexico, and Uganda on Thursday (August 19) for agreeing to accept Afghans who were evacuated in a major airlift after the Taliban’s victory.
Secretary of State Anthony Brinken spoke on the phone with Albanian Prime Minister Eddie Rama, who announced on Sunday that as the Taliban took over Kabul, he had agreed to temporarily receive requests from hundreds of Afghans travelling to the United States.
A statement from the US State Department stated that Brinken “thanks to Prime Minister Rama for continuing Albania’s glorious tradition of providing asylum to those in need.” During the 1999 NATO-led Kosovo war against the former Yugoslavia, Albania hosted Kosovo refugees.
The US State Department also expressed its gratitude to the two US military centers, Qatar and Kuwait, where thousands of Afghans are processing visas, but due to overcrowding, it is scrambling to find more temporary locations.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price also expressed his appreciation for Uganda. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni expressed his willingness to temporarily admit Afghans and that he is discussing this with several European allies.
Price listed Canada, Chile and Mexico as countries that agreed to resettle Afghans and praised their generosity.
The Canadian government said last week that it would accept as many as 20,000 Afghan refugees, including female leaders, government workers and others threatened by the Taliban.
The United States has agreed to welcome tens of thousands of Afghans who served as interpreters or other support roles in the 20-year war ended by U.S. President Joe Biden on the path to citizenship.
As the Taliban swept the country, the United States expanded its evacuation to other people who felt threatened, including women’s rights activists, NGO workers, and American media reporters.
European Union countries have also been expelling affiliated Afghans, but France and Germany, the main members of the group, have vowed to prevent irregular immigration.
In 2015, more than 1 million asylum seekers led by Syrians and Afghans entered the European Union, and there was a political backlash in Europe.
