The first plane from Afghanistan will arrive at Tirana International Airport today, according to reports in local media.
Some 300 people will come to Albania temporarily following a request for assistance from the United States. They are people who have worked in foreign entities as translators or in other roles and their families.
They are believed to be at high risk of capture, torture, or death as the Taliban continue their advance across the country.
The refugees will remain in Albania while their US visas are processed.
Reports suggest the Afghans will be housed in dormitories and hotels in Tirana and Durres. Their living expenses will be covered by NATO.
The US started withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in May of this year. Within days of the announcement, the Taliban started taking over parts of the country. Their advance on the capital of Kabul was faster than expected.
Tens of thousands of citizens have been forced to flee their homes, hundreds have been killed and injured, and women and girls are reportedly being rounded up, sexually abused and raped, and kept as slaves.
Those who fail to give up “Western culture” are being killed.
The UK’s defense secretary Ben Wallace called the US withdrawal “a mistake” and said the international community will pay the consequences.
The government has remained tight-lipped on when the refugees will arrive and where they will stay. Questions sent by Exit have not yet been answered.
