The US praised Albania, Canada, Chile, Mexico, and Uganda on Thursday for agreeing to accept Afghans being evacuated in a large airlift following the Taliban victory.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who declared on Sunday, just as the Taliban took control of Kabul, that he had agreed to take hundreds of Afghans on their way to the United States on a temporary basis.
According to a State Department statement, Blinken “thanked Prime Minister Rama for maintaining Albania’s great tradition of sheltering persons in need.”
The State Department also expressed gratitude to Qatar and Kuwait, two US military centers where hundreds of Afghans are being flown for visa processing, although the State Department is scrambling to locate more temporary facilities owing to rapid overcrowding.
Ned Price, a spokesperson for the State Department, also expressed gratitude to Uganda, where President Yoweri Museveni expressed willingness to temporarily accept Afghans and indicated talks were underway with many European partners to do the same.
Canada, Chile, and Mexico are among the countries that have committed to resettle Afghans, according to Price, who complimented them for their compassion.
