Biden Offers Afghanistan To US Flights For Allies Amidst Taliban Surge

A White House spokesman has confirmed that the Biden administration is set to offer Afghan nationals and their families who have aided the US forces in Afghanistan or those who have applied for special immigrant visas (SIVs) relocation flights to the United States under 'Operation Allies Refuge'.

• The offer comes amidst a surge in military activity by the Taliban, with vast swathes of Afghanistan falling under the group's control in the face of Afghan security forces that can no longer rely on the support of US or other Western troops.
• Comes hours after former President George W. Bush - who sent US troops to Afghanistan in 2001 in the aftermath of the Al Qaeda attacks on 11 September of that year - said that the withdrawal of all US troops from the nation is a mistake that imperils the safety of women and children in the country. Speaking to Deutsche Welle, Bush stated that "I'm afraid Afghan women and girls are going to suffer unspeakable harm," adding that "I think it is [a mistake], yeah, because I think the consequences are going to be unbelievably bad, and I'm sad."
• The flights out are set to begin in late-July, and while viewed as a necessary step the fact that they have to take place will inevitably be viewed by many observers as an admission of failure on behalf of the US gov't in that it has left Afghanistan in a state in which it cannot guarantee the safety of those who aided the US in fighting the Taliban