U.S. Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut said Congress wants to make sure that translators and other Afghans who worked closely with the U.S. military can get out of Afghanistan. American troops are expected to come home by the end of August.
Himes said there is an urgency because they anticipate that Kabul, the Afghan capital, may fall to the Taliban soon after all U.S. troops are withdrawn.
“We are working like crazy to make sure the translators and the people who worked in our embassy and the people who assisted our military can get out. Or at least have the money to get themselves to a safe place. But I don’t know that Kabul survives. I think very quickly the Taliban would be around it,” Himes said.
Himes is a member of the House Intelligence Committee. He spoke during a town hall meeting with constituents.
He said he supports President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw American troops.
"We weren’t going to achieve a new nation there," Himes said. "No country ever has. And we’ve got stuff to do right here in our own communities. And I don’t want to send another young man or woman to die in a place where we are not going to achieve our mission."
Biden has said there is nothing more the United States can do after two decades of war. And it’s now up to the Afghans to defend their country.
