The White House is working to expedite the resettlement of Afghanistan as at least 12,500 people remain on military bases.
A day after U.S. forces completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan, refugees board buses that will take them to a processing center as they arrive at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, September 1, 2021.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
Nearly six months after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, thousands of refugees who fled the country are still residing at US military bases as they wait for visas to find permanent residency and work.
As of this week, 10,000 Afghans live at several military bases around the US, according to data obtained by CNBC and verified by the Department of Homeland Security. About 2,500 people are living in US military bases abroad, including in Qatar.
On Monday, the Emir of Qatar will visit the White House to discuss plans to repatriate Afghan refugees to the US
A spokesman for the organization’s National Security Council told CNBC.
Congress has spent $13 billion on the Welcome Allied Campaign to date, according to a White House official. About 65,000 Afghans who came to the US have left their bases and are permanently resettled in local communities.
President Joe Biden and Qatar Amir will also discuss separate plans to reroute inventories of natural gas to Europe.
