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U.S. Senators Propose 2,500 More Special Visas For Afghan Workers


U.S. Senator John McCain speaks on the first day of the 53rd Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof hotel in Munich on February 17.
U.S. Senator John McCain speaks on the first day of the 53rd Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof hotel in Munich on February 17.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on March 15 proposed providing another 2,500 visas to Afghans who worked for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, often at the risk of their own lives.

“We simply cannot win this war without the assistance of the Afghan people who put their lives on the line to help American troops and diplomats serving in harm’s way," said Senate Armed Service Committee Chairman John McCain, who co-authored the bill with three other senators.

McCain said Congress has failed to provide enough special visas in 15 years of war, and "because of our failure, the lives of thousands of Afghans are in imminent danger from the Taliban."

Also sponsoring the bill were Democratic Senators Jeann Shaheen and Jack Reed, and Republican Senator Thom Tillis.

"We have a moral obligation to protect the thousands of Afghans who put themselves and their families at risk to help our soldiers and diplomats," said Shaheen. "To abandon them now would be a stain on our nation’s honor."

With reporting by AP
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