Extreme Chaos in US Afghan Evacuation Operation... Related Documents Released

Refugee families who fled Afghanistan, which was taken over by the Islamic militant group Taliban, are seen walking to board a bus with relieved expressions after arriving at Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia, USA, on the 1st (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Documents revealing that the Biden administration's 'orderly' evacuation plan was a series of extreme chaos have been disclosed.

On the 3rd (local time), The New York Times (NYT) reported on the evacuation process amid great confusion through emails and documents sent from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense to the State Department, as well as interviews with officials and refugees.

According to the report, on the 31st of last month, a charter flight departed from Mazar-i-Sharif, one of Afghanistan's four major cities, and arrived at a U.S. military base in Doha.

This charter flight, carrying hundreds of Afghans, was reportedly operated by a former Marine's law firm, and it was unclear whether the passengers qualified for special visas for U.S. military collaborators.

U.S. State Department officials wrote in an email that day that there were many such 'rogue' flights requesting landing permission in this manner, and that there were 300 people in a 'stateless' condition, including some without any documents in Doha. There were already 15,000 refugees packed into hangars and temporary tents at the U.S. military base, and 229 children were traveling without guardians.

In the crowded situation, COVID-19 testing was not conducted. Amid growing concerns about dehydration, norovirus, and cholera, reports also emerged that a 19-month-old child died from pre-existing symptoms.

President Biden stated that more than 120,000 Afghan evacuees had arrived, but the exact number is still being tallied.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that 40,000 people had arrived at airports near Washington DC and Philadelphia, and officials expect an additional 17,000 to arrive by next week.

Officials said they are conducting thorough identity checks, including entering biometric data such as fingerprints and photos into federal databases to eliminate potential risks. However, contradicting documents have also surfaced. According to one document, not only were the visas or citizenship of passengers unclear, but there were flights with information missing for dozens of people.

Confusion continued even after refugees arrived in the United States. Health officials tried to prepare spaces for COVID-19 testing and quarantine for confirmed cases, but these efforts failed as refugees poured in. More than 100 children entered the U.S. without guardians and were transferred to facilities supervised by the Department of Health and Human Services.

As of the 2nd, including 3,800 on the 1st, the number of Afghans sent from Dulles Airport to refugee processing offices reached 26,100.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.