First group of Afghan interpreters who fought with American troops FINALLY arrive in the US with their families after huge delays in their visa processing and constant threats from the Taliban

The first group of Afghan translators who worked alongside American troops finally landed in the U.S. on Friday morning with their families after some waited years to have their visas approved.

A dozen buses filled with 200 men, women and children arrived at Fort Lee in Virginia after landing at Washington Dulles Airport as part of the State Department's Operation Allied Refuge to get interpreters to safety.

The U.S. started the evacuation flights to speed up the process of giving the translators visas and help them escape constant threats from the Taliban for working alongside American forces.

Many have been forced to wait for their applications to be approved because of State Department backlogs, the struggle to track down paperwork and COVID closing the US embassy in Kabul.  

As Biden has pulled U.S. soldiers out of Afghanistan, the interpreters have been in constant danger. At least one has been beheaded by the Taliban and these is uncertainty over whether Afghan forces will be able to maintain stability.  

Hundreds of Afghans arrived at Fort Lee in Prince George County, Virginia, after being flown from their war-torn home country by the U.S. military

A dozen buses filled with 200 men, women and children arrived at Fort Lee in Virginia after landing at Washington Dulles Airport as part of the State Department's Operation Allied Refuge to get interpreters to safety

The commercial airliner carrying the 221 Afghans in the special visa program, including 57 children and 15 babies, according to an internal U.S. government document obtained by The Associated Press, touched down in Dulles, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., according to the FlightAware tracking service.

A line of chartered buses carrying the new arrivals could be riding to Fort Lee. Several outlets posted video of the Afghans. The administration had briefed on the first arrivals in advance, and users posted images on social media.  

Biden called the flight 'an important milestone as we continue to fulfill our promise to the thousands of Afghan nationals who served shoulder-to-shoulder with American troops and diplomats over the last 20 years in Afghanistan.' He said he wanted to honor the military veterans, diplomats and others in the U.S. who have advocated for the Afghans.

'Most of all,' Biden said in a statement, 'I want to thank these brave Afghans for standing with the United States, and today, I am proud to say to them: `Welcome home.''

As Biden has pulled U.S. soldiers out of Afghanistan, the interpreters have been in constant danger. At least one has been beheaded by the Taliban and these is uncertainty over whether Afghan forces will be able to maintain stability. A translator helps American Marines speak to a local in Helmand Province in 2009 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin lauded the Afghans for their work alongside Americans and said their arrival demonstrates the U.S. government´s commitment to them.

The Biden administration calls the effort Operation Allies Refuge. The operation has broad backing from Republican and Democratic lawmakers and from veterans groups. 

Supporters cite repeated instances of Taliban forces targeting Afghans who worked with Americans or with the Afghan government.

Congress on Thursday overwhelmingly approved legislation that would allow an additional 8,000 visas and $500 million in funding for the Afghan visa program.

Biden announced earlier this year the U.S. would withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, honoring a withdrawal agreement struck by former President Donald Trump. He later said the U.S. military operation would end on Aug. 31, calling it 'overdue.' Some administration officials have expressed surprise at the extent and speed of Taliban gains of territory in the countryside since then.

Biden said that although U.S. troops are leaving Afghanistan, the U.S. will keep supporting Afghanistan through security assistance to Afghan forces and humanitarian and development aid to the Afghan people.

The newly arrived Afghan people will join 70,000 others who have resettled in the United States since 2008 under the special visa program.

Subsequent flights are due to bring more of the roughly 700 applicants who are farthest along in the process of getting visas, having already won approval and cleared security screening.

The first arrivals were screened for the coronavirus and received vaccines if they wanted them, said Tracey Jacobson, the U.S. diplomat running the effort. They were expected to stay at Fort Lee, Virginia, for about seven days, completing medical exams and other final steps, Jacobson said. Resettlement organizations will help them as they travel to communities around the United States, with some bound for family members already here, she said.

The Biden administration calls the effort Operation Allies Refuge. The operation has broad backing from Republican and Democratic lawmakers and from veterans groups. The interpreters were essential in aiding U.S. forces during America's longest war