But they are not classified as refugees, nor do they count against the number of refugees that the United States commits to admitting each year. But staff members from refugee resettlement agencies were notified after the latest flight landed on Sunday that plans to evacuate more Afghans had been suspended. He said the United States would scale up by receiving more departing Afghans at U.S. military bases, but he did not offer a specific timeline. Last week, U.S. officials announced that 1,000 staff members would be dispatched to Qatar, where many of those leaving Afghanistan are assembling, to accelerate the processing of visas. The Biden administration also had been negotiating with several countries in the Middle East and Central Asia to temporarily host some people until they can be resettled in the United States.

Source: International New York Times August 16, 2021 23:38 UTC