Pentagon Evacuating Afghans To 8 Sites In Europe That Can Hold 25,000 - EUROCOM Chief

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th August, 2021) The US Department of Defense is evacuating Afghan refugees to eight sites across Europe that can shelter at least 25,000 people, Commander of the US European Command General Tod Wolters said on Wednesday.

"When you add them all together, it involves eight separate current sites where we can field 25,000 evacuees and it spans through four countries," Wolters said during a press briefing.

Wolters noted Ramstein Air Base in Germany can house 12,000 evacuees; Naval Station Rota in Spain can house 2,000 evacuees; and Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy can house 4,000 evacuees.

There are more 7,000 than Afghan refugees in Ramstein Air Base, but up to 1,800 will be transported to the United States in the next two days, Wolters said.

On August 15, the Taliban (designated a terror group by Russia) seized Kabul, causing the Afghan government to collapse. As a result, many countries have evacuated their citizens and diplomatic personnel from Afghanistan due to the precarious security situation, and some have pledged to take in a number of Afghan refugees who helped US and Coalition forces during the 20-year war.