Republican Senators are demanding answers from President Joe Biden on the number of Americans left behind in Afghanistan after the botched withdrawal. The Biden administration has not yet provided insight as to how many were abandoned at the hands of the Taliban.
“We write regarding the humanitarian crisis created by your withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan, and the safety and well-being of our fellow countrymen and allies who you left behind,” 26 senators wrote to President Biden. “You say that more than 123,000 individuals have been evacuated from Afghanistan in recent weeks (nearly half of whom were evacuated by groups or countries other than the United States), but only an estimated 5,500 ‘self-identified’ American citizens (4.5% of the total evacuees) were evacuated or able to leave on their own. Further, while it does not appear that you have released exact numbers of our Afghan partners who were evacuated, your administration has publicly confirmed that fewer than 50% of evacuated Afghans were Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants or their families.”
The senators ask for specifics on the number of American citizens, green card holders, and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants left in Afghanistan. The administration has not been transparent thus far, but called the withdrawal a "success."
Just weeks ago, President Biden vowed to keep forces in Afghanistan until all Americans were safely evacuated.
“If there's American citizens left, we're going to stay until they get out."
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 30, 2021
- Joe Biden pic.twitter.com/0GjAmIAZYb