Joe Biden has authorized a further $500 million dollars to relocate Afghan refugees, while French President Emmanuel Macron is concerned about up to 3 million of them arriving in Europe.
After the Taliban completed its takeover of Afghanistan, concerns about millions of displaced people flooding the west as happened during the civil war in Syria intensified.
“President Biden has allocated $500 million in additional funds for relocating Afghan refugees, including applicants for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), in response to the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country,” reports the Hill.
“The funds were announced by the White House late Monday to meet “unexpected urgent refugee and migration needs” and for “the purpose of meeting unexpected urgent refugee and migration needs of refugees, victims of conflict, and other persons at risk as a result of the situation in Afghanistan.”
The United States has already promised to evacuate 80,000 Afghans who have worked in some capacity for the U.S. or other international organizations..............................
Meanwhile, the UK has announced that Afghan refugees will be allowed into the country without a passport...........................
“We can assume that up to three million Afghans will make their way to Europe in the foreseeable future,” German humanitarian development worker Sybille Schnehage told German broadcaster WDR on Sunday.
“I always ask people: Why don’t you go to Saudi Arabia? They are Muslims. This is your culture. The answer is always: No, Germany is better,” said Schnehage.
https://summit.news/2021/08/17/biden-aut...ng-europe/
9,592 troops of 36 countries serving in Afghanistan
At peak, there were 130,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan as part of UN-authorized International Security Assistance Force
Currently, under the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission, there are a total of 9,592 troops from 36 nations stationed in the war-ravaged country, with the US topping the list with 2,500 soldiers.
The US is followed by Germany with 1,300 soldiers mainly stationed in the north of the country. The third-highest number of troops (895) are from Italy and they are mainly stationed in western Afghanistan bordering Iran.
Georgia is in fourth place with 860 soldiers, the UK in fifth with 750 soldiers, Romania in sixth with 619 soldiers, and Turkey with 600 soldiers in seventh place.
Poland, Mongolia, Portugal, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, and Denmark are among NATO Allies and Partners with at least over 100 soldiers as part of the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan.
In January this year, the Turkish army took the lead of NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force placing thousands of soldiers on standby, ready to deploy within days. Units from Albania, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, the UK, and the US will also serve on the force, which is part of the alliance’s larger NATO Response Force.
Regional Command Structure
Turkey’s Brig. Gen. Selcuk Yurtsizoglu heads the Train, Advise, Assist Command (TAAC) that conducts functionally-based security force assistance to the 111th Capital Division in the Afghan capital Kabul. Albania, Azerbaijan, the Czech Republic, the Republic of North Macedonia, Turkey, and the US are the contributing nations.
Germany’s Brig. Gen. Ansgar Meyer heads the TAAC-North in the northern Balkh province of Uzbekistan. It conducts the mission with the 209th Corps in Mazar-e Sharif and 217th in Kunduz of the Afghan National Army Corps, 707th Afghan National Police (ANP) Zone, and the 808th ANP Zone. Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, the UK, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Mongolia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Sweden, Turkey, and the US contribute to the command.
The US’ Col. Scott T. Yeatman heads the crucial TAAC-Air. Its mission is to train, advise, and assist Afghan partners to develop a professional, capable, and sustainable air force in Afghanistan. Among the contributing nations are Australia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey, the UK, and the US.
The US also heads the TAAC-East in the Laghman province and the TAAC-South in Kandahar province. Meanwhile, Italy’s Brig. Gen. Alberto Vezzoli heads the TAAC-West in the Herat province bordering Iran.