Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor | U.S. allies in Afghanistan remain stranded

War drums beat on in Ukraine and Israel, while U.S. allies in Afghanistan remain stranded.

After the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan, ending a twenty-year conflict, an estimated 78,000 Afghan allies were left behind in a country now under Taliban control. More than three years later, Congress continues to stall on addressing their plight. Meanwhile, Congress has allocated $175 billion to support Ukraine’s war efforts and nearly $18 billion for Israel. If the U.S. wants to pursue smart foreign policy initiatives, and build strong relationships with foreign nations, it needs to clean up its messes before moving on to new conflicts.

Currently, the Afghan Adjustment Act awaits a vote in both the Senate and the House. As an intern with the Borgen Project, I urge Representative Derek Kilmer to prioritize this legislation before leaving Congress in January. The Act would grant green cards to Afghan allies, including those who served alongside U.S. forces in the Afghan military. Congress is clearly interested in getting involved in wars, but it’s time to prove they can deal with the issues they create too.

Isaiah LaCombe

Gig Harbor

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