The House of the Representatives in the United States (US) has approved 8 000 additional visas for Afghanistanis who are at risk of retaliation following the American withdrawal from that country.
On Thursday the House approved a plan to grant the special visas for those who had assisted the US and were now at risk of retaliation. The follows the US withdrawal from the country which is scheduled to be finalised on 31 August, 20 years after the US invaded Afghanistan, following the 9/11 attacks in New York and on the Pentagon.
The new visas were approved by a wide margin in the House. The vote will now go to the Senate.
According to the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, about 18 000 people in total will be eligible for the special visas.
Since 2014 the US has granted nearly 30 000 of these types of visas to allow Afghans to settle in America.