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Biden also authorized the release of $200 million in services
and articles from the inventories of U.S. government agencies to
meet the same needs, the White House said.
The United States is preparing to begin evacuating thousands of
Afghan applicants for special immigration visas (SIVs) who risk
retaliation from Taliban insurgents because they worked for the
U.S. government.
The first batch of evacuees and their families is expected to be
flown before the end of the month to Fort Lee, a U.S. military
base in Virginia, where they will wait for the final processing
of their visa applications.
About 2,500 Afghans could be brought to the facility, about 30
miles (48 km) south of Richmond, the Pentagon said on Monday.
The Biden administration is reviewing other U.S. facilities in
the United States and overseas where SIV applicants and their
families could be accommodated.
Special immigrant visas are available to Afghans who worked as
translators or in other jobs for the U.S. government after the
2001 U.S.-led invasion.
On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed
legislation that would expand the number of SIVs that could
granted by 8,000, which would cover all potentially eligible
applications in the pipeline.
About 18,000 such applications are being processed, U.S.
officials say.
(Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Leslie Adler and Sonya
Hepinstall)
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