U.S. diplomats warned of Afghanistan's collapse in dissent cable last month.
as they swept across the country and gained control of provinces, per the source -- something the embassy, its top diplomat Ambassador Ross Wilson and eventually the department started doing around that time.
Blinken read the cable and responded to it, according to the source, who said the"thoughts of the drafters reflected much of the thinking at the department." The day after the cable was sent, the administration announced Operation Allies Refuge toAmbassador Ross Wilson, U.S. Charge D'Affaires, speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 30, 2021.
But that operation did not begin until late July, and before Kabul fell on Sunday, it had only brought under 2,000 Afghans to the U.S. -- those who had been approved for special immigrant visas and already undergone security vetting. In total, some 20,000 Afghans who worked for the U.S. have applied for these visas, according to the State Department, for themselves and tens of thousands more family members.
The administration has been criticized by U.S. lawmakers of both parties and veterans groups, among others, for not beginning that operation sooner, moving Afghans to the U.S. quickly enough or securing agreements with safe countries to host Afghans who have not yet passed security vetting.
"I appreciate that in hindsight people are saying, 'Why didn't you do this? Why didn't you do that?'" she added."The focus now today is getting all those SIVs out."
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