US President Joe Biden Allocates 500 Million Dollars to Help Refugees From Afghanistan

Washington, August 17:  US President Joe Biden has decided to allocate up to 500 million dollars to help refugees from Afghanistan, the White House said in a statement on Monday (local time).

"I hereby determine... that it is important to the national interest to furnish assistance under the MRAA in an amount not to exceed $500 million from the United States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund for the purpose of meeting unexpected urgent refugee and migration needs of refugees, victims of conflict, and other persons at risk as a result of the situation in Afghanistan," Biden said in a memorandum for the Secretary of State.

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The US has been withdrawing its forces as the military mission in Afghanistan is on the verge of ending. "I stand squarely behind my decision," Biden said in a televised address to the nation from the White House East Room.

His remarks came a day after the Taliban takeover of Kabul. He said that the US military mission will be short and focused on "getting our people and our allies to safety as quickly as possible."

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Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and took control of the presidential palace. Taliban leaders have been discussing future government plans in Doha after gaining control of Kabul, as per a media report.

Panic has gripped the Afghan capital as people fear a return to the Taliban's brutal rule and the threat of reprisal killings. Thousands of Afghans flooded the tarmac on Monday morning, at one point swarming around a departing US military plane as it taxied down the runway.

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