MANILA – The Philippine government has approved the United States’ request to temporarily host its Afghan allies while they process their Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) and resettlement to the US, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced Tuesday.
In a statement, the DFA said Manila and Washington DC “agreed on allowing a limited number” of Afghan nationals to transit to the Philippines to complete their visa processing.
“The US government is supporting necessary services for those Afghans temporarily in the Philippines, including food, housing, security, medical, and transportation to complete visa processing,” it said.
“The agreement is currently undergoing the final domestic procedures required for effectivity."
The agency has yet to provide details when asked how many Afghans would be covered in the deal.
US Embassy spokesperson Kanishka Gangopadhyay also declined to comment on the specific number of Afghan nationals but said they would temporarily reside at a Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE)-operated facility in the Philippines.
“For operational security purposes, we will not comment on the capacity of the platform or how many guests are in the Philippines at any given time. We are still discussing the timeline with the Government of the Philippines,” he said.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez earlier said the US proposal was made in Ocotber 2022 and was for the "pure processing of special immigration visas" for Afghans and their families who used to work for the US government.
Kabul fell under Taliban rule in August 2021, prompting a chaotic pullout of American forces days before the US completed its withdrawal after a 20-year war in Afghanistan.
This left thousands of Afghan nationals who worked at the US mission behind. (PNA)
