The United States is evacuating thousands of interpreters, who helped American and NATO troops in Afghanistan, the Biden administration announced on Wednesday. This comes as the US is withdrawing its troops’ from Afghanistan. The Taliban are taking control of more regions as they captured a strategic crossing from government forces on the Pakistan border.

According to news agency AFP, the interpreters and their families, under Operation Allies Refuge, would be first taken to US overseas military bases or possibly third world nations before they will be resettled in the US or elsewhere. 

“These are courageous individuals. We want to make sure we recognise and value the role they’ve played over the last several years,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. 

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Jen Psaki said that the goal is to get those people, who are already being processed under the State Department’s Special Immigrant Visas program, out of Afghanistan before the deadline. 

“We’re looking at all options,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said, talking about where the translators would be sent. 

US President Joe Biden has set the deadline of August 31 for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. 

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The initial evacuation will include nearly 2,500 people, an official told news agency Reuters. 

There are nearly 18,000 people, including interpreters, translators, and others who worked with US forces, qualified for evacuation, news agency AFP reported, adding that the number of evacuees can be more than 80,000 after including their families. 

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After the departure of US troops, many are fearing retaliation from the Taliban, who are seeking to regain control of the Afghanistan government in Kabul before August’s end. 

The threat of retaliation increased as the Taliban is making rapid advances across Afghanistan. It has captured border posts, which apart from Pakistan also include crossings with Iran, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, from Afghan forces.