Controversy arises over Clinton's request for aid in Afghan exit

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
9 Sep 2023 08:46

In a recent development, it has been revealed that former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sought assistance from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to evacuate Afghan women during the hasty withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a 2021 event in Paris. (AFP via Getty Images)

White House National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, reportedly rebuked former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for requesting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's assistance in evacuating Afghan women during the hasty US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

According to information from the recently-published book titled "The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future," US media outlets disclosed that Clinton had sought permission from Zelensky's aide to transport several Afghan women on military planes bound for Kiev.

Upon learning of Clinton's call, it is reported that Sullivan questioned her approach and asked her, "Why are you contacting the Ukrainian government?" Clinton later justified her actions by stating that she wouldn't have had to contact Ukraine if the Biden administration had already taken such measures. She assured Sullivan that she would coordinate her efforts with US officials. However, the book suggests that Clinton had already reached out to leaders in Canada, Qatar, and Albania as part of her endeavor to evacuate 1,000 individuals from Afghanistan

These women were referred to as "white scarves" because they were instructed to wear specific head coverings for easy identification, as described by the book's author, Franklin Foer. The list of at-risk women had originally been organized by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security, totaling around 1,500 individuals.

200,000 Afghans left to their fate, still await evacuation to West

Around 200,000 people who worked with the NATO alliance occupation forces under former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled to Pakistan when the Taliban took power and are still helplessly waiting to be evacuated to the United States and other Western countries, putting a strain on the economy, according to Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who spoke to the US magazine Newsweek last June.

Earlier this year, Afghan refugees protested in Pakistan's capital on January 13, as an American program to assist in the relocation of at-risk Afghans fleeing after the hasty US withdrawal stalled.

The US government's Priority 1 and Priority 2 refugee programs, known as P1 and P2, were allegedly designed to expedite visas for "at-risk Afghans," including journalists and human rights advocates, following the hasty US withdrawal, but the process proves it is far from being expedited.

Individuals qualified must have worked in Afghanistan for the US government, a US-based media organization, or a nongovernmental group, and must have been referred by a US-based employer.

Applicants in Pakistan have been waiting for more than a year and a half for US officials to process their visa applications. Because of the delay in processing visas and resettlement, Afghan applicants are in a highly vulnerable situation in Pakistan, where they face economic hardship and a lack of access to health, education, and other facilities.