US Strands Over 500 Journalists Employed By US Media Agency in Afghanistan, Rep McCaul Says

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - More than 500 Afghan journalists who were employed by the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) remain in Afghanistan, along with their families, despite assurances from the Biden administration that they would be eligible for evacuation as US employees, lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul said.

“The US State Department claimed they evacuated their local employees when in reality they abandoned hundreds of USAGM journalists and their families,” McCaul said in a press release on Tuesday. “Some of these journalists were given express assurances by the Biden Administration that they would be treated as locally employed staff - but were not.”

LR @RepMcCaul on @StateDept abandoning @USAGMgov journalists in #Afghanistan: "It is absolutely disgraceful the U.S. State Department claimed they evacuated their local employees when in reality they abandoned hundreds of USAGM journalists and their families...

— House Foreign Affairs GOP (@HouseForeignGOP) August 31, 2021

McCaul pointed out that only 50 USAGM staffers were evacuated, thanks to efforts by US allies and not the United States government. USAGM is the umbrella organization that oversees five US-funded media outlets, including Voice of America and Radio Free Asia.

McCaul said pleas from his office to help one of the journalists, his wife and infant child have been repeatedly ignored.

US media estimated in an August 25 report that at least 250,000 Afghans eligible for expedited US visas remained in the country at a time when American forces could only evacuate about 20,000 daily.

As the last of U.S. troops left Afghanistan, the Taliban celebrated a victory. We’ve emboldened our adversaries, and we’ve weakened our alliances. What happened to no man left behind? Bottom line, our commander in chief should not turn his back on Americans. pic.twitter.com/bV5xApFO2l

— Michael McCaul (@RepMcCaul) August 31, 2021

House Republicans have renewed their demand to impeach US President Joe Biden and his Secretary of State Antony Blinken over the bungled and chaotic US evacuation from Afghanistan. The president should voluntarily step down to preserve “a modicum of honor” and clear the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to take over, Congressman Clay Higgens said.