US to house Afghans at military installations

WASHINGTON — A top U.S. defense official says plans are being made to temporarily house thousands of Afghans at three U.S. military installations.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday that up to 22,000 Afghans and their families could be housed at the installations. Kirby did not identify more specific locations.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that Afghanistan refugees will be housed at military... — Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that Afghanistan refugees will be housed at military bases.(Source: CNN)

Thousands of Afghans who assisted the U.S. as interpreters and in other roles have been desperate to leave Afghanistan since before the government fell to the Taliban over the weekend, in the shadow of an Aug. 31 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

Kirby told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the U.S. Defense and State departments are working together to evacuate as many Americans and Afghans as quickly as possible.

Kirby says several thousand U.S. service members now arriving in Afghanistan will be there for the next couple of weeks to help with the evacuation.