Agreement between the United States and the Philippines: Afghan transit to Manila

The Philippines has expressed willingness to temporarily accept former Afghan local workers for the United States. They have to wait there for visa applications.

Expulsion of local workers in Kabul in August 2021. Now there must be a transit through the Philippines Photo: Samuel Ruiz/Imaego

Berlin taz | In dry reports, the United States and the Philippines announced Monday evening that both governments had agreed to temporarily accept former US Afghan local workers in the Southeast Asian island nation. “The U.S. government is supporting these Afghans temporarily in the Philippines with the services they need to complete their visa applications, including food, shelter, security, medical care, and transportation,” it said. in two Explanations. Numbers are not specified.

According to the Intelligence Philippines web portal Rappler and the The Washington Post It will initially consist of around 150 to 300 former Afghan local workers and their families who served for the US military in the Hindu Kush until August 2021. This first group will be accommodated outside the capital city of Manila and will only be allowed to visit the US Embassy. The deal is a trial balloon: If there are no problems, the transit of additional Afghans is possible.

For the Philippine government, a US colony until 1946, it was important to maintain control rather than handing Washington a blank check. Afghans must first apply for a visa to enter the country, as Islamists have fought the government for decades to recognize Philippine sovereignty and protect the island nation. But this is applicable only for 59 days. But it's unclear what will happen to Afghans in the Philippines if they don't get the special US visas they hoped for. It is unclear where the alleged Afghan beneficiaries of the new regulation are currently staying and whether they can return there if they are rejected.

loudly The Washington Post After withdrawing from Afghanistan, the United States took in more than 160,000 Afghans, some of them through transit stations in Qatar and Albania. Tens of thousands more Afghans are said to be awaiting US pledges. Under then newly elected President Marcos Jr. The Philippines has been asked by Washington for the first time in 2022 to transport up to 50,000 Afghans. Marcos has now visited Washington four times to begin a turnaround in Manila's foreign policy.

Kamala Harris attended

His predecessor Rodrigo Duterte initially relied heavily on China. However, economic hopes have not materialized, with Beijing increasingly trying to assert its internationally unrecognized territorial claims against the Philippines and others in the South China Sea. Marcos Jr. later returned to Washington, following his father, dictator Ferdinand Marcos, to expand the US military's operational capacity in the archipelago. Since then, Washington has been arming the Philippines as well.

Traffic deal, it's loud The Washington Post Going back to US Vice President Kamala Harris, this is considered a concession by Marcos. Not surprisingly, Vice President Sarah Duterte, the daughter of her predecessor who is opposed to her, rejected the deal with Washington.

The Philippines certainly has a history of temporarily accepting refugees. From 1937 to 1941 they took 1,200 Jews from Germany, Austria and Shanghai, and after 1975 30,000 Vietnamese boat people. Both groups later traveled to other countries, mostly to the United States.