Topics: News about Afghanistan, Taliban, relocation, immigration, resettlement, humanitarian crisis, commentary, books, podcasts, events, and more.
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Leaving Afghanistan and Resettlement
Afghan Passports. The Taliban government is increasing the distribution of passports to Afghans across the country. According to a Taliban official more than 100,000 passports are issued each month. “Afghanistan: Over 100,000 Passports Are Issued to Applicants Each Month”, The Khaama Press, June 4, 2023.
Visas for Afghan Interpreters. Bipartisan legislation introduced on Thursday, June 1, 2023, in the Senate seeks to increase the number of visas available for Afghan interpreters and others who worked with American forces during the 20 years of war before the Taliban took over in August 2021. The bill, known as the Afghan Allies Protection Act, would extend the Special Immigrant Visa program to 2029 and authorize and additional 20,000 visas. This removes the necessity of renewing the program every year. “US lawmakers aim to extend and expand visa program for Afghan interpreters”, Stars and Stripes, June 2, 2023.
Badger Six. Justin Sapp, a retired Green Beret, writes about the efforts of an organization dedicated to assisting forgotten Afghan allies who assisted in the initial U.S. entry into Afghanistan in the fall of 2001. Sapp was the first American soldier on the ground in that conflict – infiltrating in with a CIA team to link up with the Northern Resistance. Read more in “Final Rescue Misson for First American Soldier Into Afghanistan”, by Justin Sapp, AARP, June 8, 2023.
TANF Report. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has updated its “In Focus” bulletin on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. June 22, 2023, PDF, 3 pages. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10036
DoD and Afghanistan. Apparently, there is some reshuffling of portfolios in the Department of Defense. It has disestablished its Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense office for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia. It moved the latter two portfolios into other DASD offices and created a Special Coordinator for Afghanistan position instead. https://policy.defense.gov/OUSDP-Offices/ASD-for-International-Security-Affairs/
Commentary and Reports
Paper – For Want of a Nail. This report investigates a core set of assumption that underpinned America’s twenty-year engagement in Afghanistan. It was prepared by researchers from the Fletcher Center for Strategic Studies at Tufts Unversity. June1, 2023, PDF, 30 pages. https://sites.tufts.edu/css/files/2023/06/AAP-WP-001-For-Want-of-a-Nail.pdf
CRS Report – Afghan Women and Girls: Status and Congressional Action. The Congressional Research Service has updated this report. June 21, 2023, PDF, 3 pages. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11646
CRS Report – Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy. This report has been updated. June 21, 2023, PDF, 19 pages. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R45122
Books about Afghanistan
Photo: An Afghan guest undergoes in-processing upon arrival at Liberty Village, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Dec. 5, 2021. Photo U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Mikaley Kline.