Pete Hegseth, the newly appointed U.S. Defense Secretary, emphasized support for Washington’s Afghan allies on his first day in office. Speaking on Monday, January 29, upon his arrival at the Pentagon, he said, “We stand with our Afghan allies.”
Hegseth, who recently began his role as U.S. Defense Secretary, told reporters that he wears a bracelet every day in honor of an American soldier killed in Afghanistan.
According to the Associated Press, around 15,000 Afghan refugees eligible for relocation to the U.S. are currently in Pakistan, while thousands of others remain in Afghanistan and other countries awaiting transfer.
Anna Lloyd, a representative of the Task Force Argo, told CNN that 3,000 Afghans are waiting in camps in Qatar, and another 500 are in Albania, hoping to be relocated to the U.S.
The suspension of U.S. immigration programs and the withdrawal of foreign aid by the new U.S. president have placed Afghan refugees in a dire situation. Lloyd noted that Afghan refugees in camps in Qatar lack access to basic necessities like “toilet paper and hygiene products.”
Although the U.S. special immigration program for Afghans has not been officially suspended, funding cuts for flights have hindered their relocation. Efforts are underway by U.S. senators and organizations supporting refugees to resume the relocation process.