Secy. of State Blinken: U.S. in contact with Americans left behind
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks about Afghanistan during a media briefing at the State Department, on September 3, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Olivier DOULIERY / POOL / AFP)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 7:48 PM PT – Friday, September 3, 2021
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he’s traveling to Qatar to meet with leaders and express gratitude for helping Americans in evacuation efforts.
During a press briefing on Friday, Blinken said about 100 Americans remain in Afghanistan and the State Department has been in constant contact. He added it’s unclear how many Special Immigrant Visa applicants still remain.
“We continue to process as many SIV applications as possible. We’re exploring alternative ways to process applications, so applicants don’t have to wait in Afghanistan until we’re finished,” said Blinken. “But instead if they can go…get there, get to a third country for additional processing before coming to the United States.”
On September 5, I will depart for Doha, Qatar and Ramstein, Germany. This trip will underscore the importance of cooperation on Afghanistan and allow me to thank our staff and German and Qatari friends for their efforts in supporting the largest airlift in history.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 3, 2021
Following his visit to Qatar, Blinken plans to head over to a U.S. airbase in Germany to meet up with his German counterpart, along with Afghans waiting to be processed. In the meantime, Blinken said the U.S. is committed to looking at everything America and Afghanistan have gone through from early relations to the present.
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