WASHINGTON, May 13 ― Former senior US officials have urged the US secretaries of state and defense to do more to provide visas to Afghans who worked for the United States in Afghanistan before US forces withdraw, according to letters seen by Reuters yesterday.

President Joe Biden has decided to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by September 11, raising concerns of a full-scale civil war, the Taliban's return to power and continued reprisals against Afghans associated with the US presence.

“US history is replete with instances where we failed to understand or prepare to mitigate the terrible consequences that might confront those ... who stood beside us and believed in us when the going was tough,” said the letters to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.

“We have a moral obligation to do better this time,” they added.

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The letters were signed by nearly 100 former officials, including many who worked on US policy toward Afghanistan in the 20 years since the US military helped topple the Taliban government that harbored al-Qaeda leaders blamed for the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

The officials ― who included four former US ambassadors to Afghanistan and retired General Joseph Votel, who oversaw US troops in the Middle East ― called on the Biden administration speed up the processing of so-called Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) for Afghans who worked for the United States.

The letter said more than 18,000 Afghans, including former interpreters, are awaiting visa adjudication and said the US should aim to clear the backlog before US troops withdraw.

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They also proposed increasing quotas when US troops pull out and asking Congress to create a pathway to admit “additional Afghans who will be especially vulnerable in the post-withdrawal period.”

The State and Defense Departments did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ― Reuters