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Thousands of former members of the Afghan army may be forced to flee to Iran in the final days of the US war in Afghanistan, putting pressure on Tehran to reveal classified US military intelligence and tactics. caused concern.
“As the Taliban advance against Kabul progresses, priority will be given to the evacuation of critical Afghan military personnel who possess unique knowledge of US military tactics, techniques and procedures and thereby may pose security risks to the United States. There has been no systematic effort to divulge their knowledge to America’s adversaries,” Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCall, the top Republican on the House Foreign Relations Committee, said Tuesday. Read the report published in
A 120-page report obtained by Foreign Policy depicts chaotic conditions in the final days of the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan, with the State Department reporting the rapid collapse of the Afghan government and a rapidly deteriorating security situation. when the Taliban swept across the country.
“Today, we are still reeling from the damage done last August, including emboldening and empowering our foreign enemies,” McCall told Foreign Policy.
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Many Afghans who were abandoned nearly a year ago and forced to flee to Iran now have first-hand knowledge of the heavily guarded US tactics that are now in danger of falling into Iranian hands, according to the report. They were elite Afghan special forces trained in the United States.
Out of options and fearing for their safety and the safety of their families, as many as 3,000 commandos ended up in Iran while the Taliban stepped up their hunt for those who supported the US war effort. – Long border with Afghanistan.
“I think most Afghans who were in special forces or other special forces were very close to Americans,” Mick Mulroy, a former assistant secretary of defense and CIA paramilitary officer, told Foreign Policy. rice field. “But if you have no choice and the only place you can escape the Taliban is Iran, and they can pay your bills and take care of your family, they will be under severe pressure. Don’t take the opportunity because you really don’t have a choice.”
The United States conducted a major withdrawal on the final day of its presence in Afghanistan, evacuating nearly 130,000 Americans, Afghan civilians and military personnel. But thousands of Afghans who helped the United States while they were in Afghanistan were left behind, forced to navigate a slow and complicated special immigrant visa system that has long been plagued with delinquencies.
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A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council told Fox News that the United States was “proud to welcome tens of thousands of Afghan allies and their families to the United States over the past year.” The U.S. government remains focused on helping the United States,” he added. Afghanistan’s allies under the Allies Welcome Operation, including her P-1 referral to the U.S. refugee program.”
“We continue to welcome former ANDSF forces who have received P1 referrals and are found to be eligible for refugee status,” a spokesperson said.
But the White House isn’t sure about the thousands of former Afghan special forces who have fled to Iran and what security threats they could pose, or whether the US is poaching those Afghans out of Iran. It did not say whether it has a strategy to prevent more former US allies from fleeing to the country.
A U.S. Special Forces Command source with knowledge of the withdrawal told Fox News that the concerns described in the report were accurate, adding that the U.S. had little choice but to evacuate many of Afghanistan’s special forces. and that many U.S.-trained troops were left behind. I was able to have knowledge of U.S. military tactics that Iran considered valuable.
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The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
Meanwhile, Afghan commandos who fled to Iran are reportedly receiving seven-month visa grants if they can prove their service in the Afghan army, but Iran expects to renew those visas indefinitely. It is
The report comes as the Taliban step up efforts to hunt down and kill former members of the Afghan army, and US officials say elite Afghan special forces are more vulnerable and that a defection to Iran has been carried out. He said it could look like a viable option.
McCaul’s report concludes that special forces were forced to flee to Iran because they were abandoned by the US, and the Biden administration still lacks a clear policy on how to evacuate those left behind. claims.
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According to the report, a State Department official said in February that “the issue of withdrawing Afghan Special Forces is an ‘interagency debate’ and ‘everything must still be discussed and decided.’ “As of last month, there were no plans yet.” On the spot from the White House.
The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.