AP: Some of the Afghans who came to Kosovo Sė have still passed security verification, US silent

The prestigious American news agency, “Associated Press”, has written on the issue of Afghans coming to Kosovo and “hiding” US information on their identity.

The AP in a written article today says that the US has found almost nothing about the identity of Afghans coming to the camp of “Bundsel” in Kosovo.

“The US is welcoming tens of thousands of Afghans transported by plane from Kabul, but has discovered little publicly for a small group that remains abroad -- dozens that caused possible security issues during security verification and were sent to an American base in the Balkan nation of Kosovo”, the Associated Press reported.

On the other hand, the AP writes that <x0 human rights defenders have raised concerns about Afghans returning to Kosovo's Bondsteel camp over the past six weeks, citing the lack of transparency over their status, the reasons for their curbing them, and the question of what could be done with anyone not allowed to come to US”.

“We are undoubtedly concerned,” said Jelena Sesar, a researcher for Amnesty International specialising in the Balkans.

What really happens to these people, especially those who do not pass security verification? Will they be stopped? Will they have access to legal assistance? And what's the plan for them? Is there any danger that they will eventually return to Afghanistan?”, she says.

The AP emphasises that the Biden Administration says it is too early to answer some of these questions, at least publicly, as it works <x0 with the ethe” to restore Afghans who were evacuated after the invasion of Afghanistan by the Taliban in August.

In addition, the AP writes that lack of public information has made it a challenge for those who closely follow the fate of refugees.

There is not much transparency about how the security control regime works,” said Sunil Varghese, director of policies for the International Refugees Assistance Project.

“We don't know why people are sent to Kosovo for additional checks, which is this additional control, how long it will last”, he said.

So far, more than 66,000 Afghans have arrived in the US since 17 August, subjecting to what the government portrays as a rigorous process of securing security to avoid national security threats from a population that includes people who have worked as translators for the American Army and their country's armed forces.

Their “, about 55,000, lies in US military bases across the country, where they complete immigration processing and medical evaluations and quarantine before being deployed in the United States. There are still 5,000 people from evacuation to transit points in the Middle East and Europe, according to the Department of Homeland Security, which is managing the” efforts, the AP says further in this article.

The restoration effort is under intense scrutiny after the wave of criticism by President Joe Biden for the furious evacuation of American forces and allies as part of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, which was put in motion when President Donald Trump's administration signed a peace agreement with the Taliban to end America's longest war.

“Trump and other Republicans have since criticised the administration for allowing insufficiently verified Afghans in the country. US Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said there have been only minimal threats detected among refugees reaching”, the AP reports on.

The exact number at Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, a small nation in Southeast Europe that gained independence from Serbia with US support in 2008, fluctuates when new people arrive and others leave when security issues are resolved, such as missing documents, according to American officials”, the AP says further.

The Kosovo government, a close ally of the United States, has agreed that refugees stay on its territory for a year. The country also expects a separate group in the area next to Bondsteel known as Camp Bechtel, where Afghans who have worked for NATO countries during the war are staying temporarily until they are deployed in Europe”, the AP writes further.

For several weeks, there were about 30 Afghan evacuateds, along with about 170 family members, at Camp Bondsteel because of “red flags”, according to an American official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information that was not published.

“They are in some sort of oblivion because they are not banned, but are not necessarily free to leave at this point”, he says.

They volunteered to be evacuated from Afghanistan, but were flagged at one of the transit points in Europe or the Middle East and said they should go to Kosovo. Some chose to bring their families with them as authorities work with analysts and other experts from the FBI, DHS and other agencies to resolve questions about their identity or past associations, a senior administration official said.

“They are free to move through the base, but cannot leave under conditions set by the Kosovo government, the senior official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security and diplomatic issues”, the article said further.

Those sent to Bondstheel are people who require “further significant consideration”, including analysis and interviews, before authorities feel comfortable allowing them to move to the US, the administration's top official said.

In some cases, the analysis has led to a definition that they are “suitable for further trips to the United States”, while, in others, “The work remains ongoing” and their cases remain irregular.