She's 10 years old and her parents were able to get out with her. Her hair is in a neat bun held together by a baby blue scrunchie. She's wearing a pink sweater with gold stars. In the sea of green cots at the Dulles Expo Center, a small, shy girl approaches us. government, and it's one that nobody seems to be able to answer. She has spoken with her mother and father, she says, but wonders how they will reconnect. She and dozens of other children and young adults left their parents behind. But we tried our best, me and my two friends. She recalls how she fled the city and got into the airport. One of them is 21-year-old Mahiri, from Kabul. Milley talked with refugees, asking about the food and medical services and their lives back in Afghanistan.Īnd he walks up to a picnic table where a cluster of young girls are putting together a puzzle. air bases in Germany, Italy and Spain over the weekend, where Afghans were screened before heading to the United States. The idea that we just liberated 124,000 people and are giving them an opportunity to be free." "Painful questions of was it all worth it? What it was all about. "One is a feeling of disappointment of the outcome," he says. He acknowledges that the war didn't turn out as many of them hoped. Milley spent years commanding troops in Afghanistan. "And I have confidence in the FBI, I have confidence in the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) system." "How many real, actual suspected members of some sort of terrorist or criminal group, those numbers have been really low so far," says Milley. base in Kosovo because they were flagged as possibly having ties to terrorist groups. officials say of the thousands who went through Ramstein Air Base in Germany, only a small number are being detained and sent to a U.S. After leaving Afghanistan, refugees traveled through the Middle East before arriving at one of several U.S. Mark Milley, visited in recent days, stopping in Germany, Italy and Spain and watching as Afghans were screened before heading to the U.S.Īfghan evacuees line up at the U.S. Leaving homeĪfter leaving Afghanistan, refugees traveled through the Middle East before arriving at one of several U.S. The 22-year-old says he hopes he can continue his education in electrical engineering, but if Afghanistan gets better, he wants to return. Hamidullah left a good life in Kabul, but his dad worked for the Americans and it was no longer safe. They can apply for asylum or wait until Congress offers a special legal status as it did for those fleeing the aftermath of the Vietnam War.ĭespite the unknowns, some of the young Afghans are hopeful. There are young adults separated from their parents with no paperwork. Other Afghans at the center might have a long wait and an unknown future, arriving in the U.S. "There are still more than 30,000 still to come." military bases where they will go for further processing. "We had approximately 29,000 Afghans come through the Dulles space and move on to their forward bases," says Finerty, referring to the eight U.S. Everyone is given a wristband based on their medical condition or immigration status. They stream into the building and head toward a line of tables for processing. If they test negative, they are bused to the center. "Probably the best I've ever seen."Īfter landing at Dulles International Airport, the refugees are given a coronavirus test. "My favorite use of recycled boxes," Finerty says. A huge cardboard box has been flattened and laid out to serve as a drawing board. This welcoming center is the first step of a long journey of starting their lives in the U.S.Īt the Dulles Expo Center in Virginia, a special corner is reserved just for kids, where they can play, color and draw with crayons and pads, supervised by aid workers from the humanitarian organization Save the Children.įinerty calls a wall plastered with crayon drawings her favorite spot. NPR got an exclusive look inside the largest one, near Dulles International Airport in Virginia. military left Afghanistan in what ended up being a hasty and chaotic exit to a 20-year war, thousands of Afghans have been airlifted to processing centers in the United States. There are stacks of pillows and blankets, and soldiers and government workers walk through the crowd of men and women in traditional garb. It's wall to wall with cots and now includes a medical center and cafeteria - serving halal food - for the steady stream of people. Now the cavernous center hosts thousands of Afghan refugees. The Dulles Expo Center outside Washington, D.C., is usually reserved for home and garden or gun shows. Air Force base in Europe, has hosted thousands of Afghans.
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