US media outlets lobby Biden, Congress for visas for Afghan journalists

A coalition of US news organisations on Tuesday wrote two separate letters to the US President Joe Biden and Congress calling on them to grant special immigration visas (SIVs) to Afghan journalists and support staff who worked for American media organizations.

The letters were jointly sent by twenty four American media outlets, who called for SIVs to be approved for Afghan journalists, translators, support staff, and their families.

“We are doing what we can as a private organization to support our current and former colleagues in Afghanistan, but without US government assistance the people are facing grave harm in Afghanistan,” one letter stated.

“They and their families face the same threat of retaliation from the Taliban, which views the American press as a legitimate target. The Taliban has long conducted a campaign of threatening and killing journalists,” the letter read, as reported by Axios.

“Without the assistance of the U.S. Government, many of these Afghans face grievous harm and death for having done nothing more than lent their labor and skills to making certain the world knew what was going on in their country while U.S. troops were there for the past twenty years.”

Arab News meanwhile reported that the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) drafted joint letters with numerous media outlets on Wednesday to urge the US government to provide emergency visas to Afghans who assisted American forces during the past two decades of war.

The steady exodus of US and NATO troops over the past few months has increased fears that the Taliban will take power again leaving Afghan interpreters, journalists, contractors, and support staff, who were previously protected by US and NATO forces, susceptible to retaliation.

The CPJ letters were addressed to Biden, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and US Congressional leaders such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Arab News reported.

“The need for action is urgent,” the letters said. “Afghans face grievous harm and death for having done nothing more than lending their labor and skills to make certain the world knew what was going on in their country. US troops have been there for the past 20 years.”

Last week, Danish Siddiqui, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist from India, who worked for Reuters, was killed while covering the clashes between Afghan security forces and Taliban forces near the Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistan.

On Tuesday, the US Pentagon said it has completed more than 95 percent of the entire withdrawal process. Approximately 17,000 pieces of equipment that will not be left to the Afghan military have been handed over to the Defense Logistics Agency for destruction. The US has officially handed over seven facilities to the Afghan military, including Bagram Air Base.