3 More U.S. Bases Set to Take in Afghan Refugees, Joining 4 Others Nationally; 8 Other US Bases in Europe Prepared to Accept as Many as 25,000 Afghan Refugees. and related stories

3 More Bases Set to Take in Afghan Refugees, Joining 4 Others Nationally:

The Department of Defense has authorized two additional military installations in Virginia to house Afghan refugees — Marine Corps Base Quantico and Fort Pickett, a National Guard training center an hour southwest of Richmond.

And Pentagon spokesman John Kirby announced Friday that Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, also has been added to the list.

The installations will join Fort Lee, Virginia; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort McCoy, Wisconsin; and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, as processing centers for Afghans evacuated from Afghanistan through Aug. 31, the deadline set by President Joe Biden for the U.S. to be out of the country.

“The Defense Department continues to support the State Department in providing temporary housing, sustainment, and support inside the United States for up to 50,000 Afghan Special Immigration Visa applicants, their families and other at-risk individuals,” Pentagon spokesman Army Lt. Col. Chris Mitchell said in an email to Military.com on Thursday. —>READ MORE HERE

8 US bases in Europe prepared to accept as many as 25,000 Afghan refugees:

More than 7,000 Afghan evacuees have been processed through Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, where they’re expected to spend up to two weeks finalizing their visas before resettling in the U.S., the head of U.S. European Command told reporters on Wednesday.

Other bases are prepared to receive Afghans as the evacuation mission at Kabul’s airport over the next week include several in Germany, one in Spain and another in Kosovo, said Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters.

“For context, we received our first evacuation flights last Friday, the 20th of August,” Wolters said. “And three short days later, this last Monday, we had our first set of flights depart Ramstein for the continental United States.”

To date, he said, that’s 55 flights to Ramstein and three to Sigonella. There are currently 5,783 and 662 waiting to be processed at either base, respectively, with 1,500 having already headed on to Dulles Airport outside Washington, D.C. —>READ MORE HERE

Follow links below to related stories:

Wisconsin’s Fort McCoy is one of three U.S. bases approved and now housing Afghan refugees

Va. Congresswoman: DoD authorizes Fort Pickett to temporarily house Afghan refugees

Holloman Air Force Base will serve as temporary housing for Afghan refugees

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