Afghanistan

President Joe Biden said the decision to end 20 years of U.S. military presence in Afghanistan on Aug. 31 came down to limiting further loss of American lives in a place where the country no longer had vital interests.

Faith-based groups, including Catholic organizations, also have been calling on the Biden administration to speed up the evacuations.

Saying that a humanitarian crisis is developing in Afghanistan, the chairmen of two U.S. bishops’ committees called on the U.S. government to “act with utmost urgency” to resettle thousands of Afghan citizens entering the country under special immigrant visas.

When U.S. service members were in a foreign land, unsure of the way and unable to speak the language, brave locals came to their assistance. Now, the Afghans who served as interpreters and guides for the U.S. military need help adjusting to a new country.