The United States Department of Defense reportedly admitted that Americans are still left in Afghanistan after withdrawing all military troops in August.
The Daily Wire said several dozen immediate U.S. service members' families are still trapped in Afghanistan based on a memorandum issued by Department of Defense Undersecretary for Policy Colin Kahl. The memo is said to ask military personnel and Department of Defense civilians to contact him regarding family members requiring help to evacuate from Afghanistan.
As per NBC News, the memo "instructs service members and Defense Department civilians to email a specific address with the subject 'immediate family member." There are said to be over 100 American family members remaining in Afghanistan but it is uncertain how many actually intends to leave.
"There are well over 100 extended family members still in Afghanistan, but it's not clear how many of them want to leave the country," defense officials were quoted in saying.
The memorandum, dated Nov. 4, was addressed to secretaries of the government's military departments, to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley, chiefs of the military services, National Guard Bureau Chief General Daniel Hokanson, commanders of the combatant commands, and the directors of defense agencies.
It had the subject, "Identifying Immediate Family Members of U.S. Military Personnel and Department of Defense Civilian Employees Seeking Departure from Afghanistan."
According to the memo, the DoD is still facilitating departures of American citizens from Afghanistan along with "lawful permanent residents and eligible Afghan partners" who intend to immigrate or resettle in the U.S.
The memo highlighted that evacuations from Afghanistan remain the lead effort of the Department of State, which is facilitated in departures by various agencies including the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense. Evacuation efforts are made based on the qualification of the individual such as immediate family members of American citizens and lawful permanent residents military personnel, and civilian employees of the Department of Defense.
Kahl said in the memo that extended family members will be assisted in their evacuation provided they do desire the assistance offered by his office for it. He did point out that considering there is no "in-country U.S. embassy presence" in Afghanistan the preparing and scheduling the departures for said family members would meet "a number of challenges." However, the DoD would still undertake "the greatest possible extent" of providing the needed support to ensure the completion of the said family members' relocation.
"We understand that many U.S. military personnel and DoD civilian employees may also have extended family remaining in Afghanistan. DoD recognizes that these extended family members also have a connection to the United States; we will continue to assist State/CARE as they develop mechanisms that may facilitate the safe departures forsuch individuals from Afghanistan in the future," Kahl said.
"Any USS. military personnel or DoD civilian employees with immediate family members still in Afghanistan who desire assistance departing should contact the OUSD(P) Afghan Referrals mailbox directly at osd.pentagon.ousd-policy.mbx.afereferrals@mail.mil and include 'DoD Immediate Family Member' in the subject line. Please be prepared to provide immediate family member names, contact information, their location, passport information, and national identification card (lazkera) information to the above mailbox," he added.
Kahl's memo comes in the face of the members of the U.S. Congress pushing the Pentagon to help the family members of service men stuck in Afghanistan. Texas Representative Michael McCaul even sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last September to push them to get involved in the matter.
