out to avoid retaliation from rapidly advancing taliban forces. heidi jo. castro reports from fort lee virginia. the buses carrying former afghan interpreters and their families, including 57 children and 15 babies, arrived at the fort lee military base in virginia on friday morning. this is the 1st place they lay their heads in the us safely away from the taliban, possible retribution for having worked with americans now leaving the war in afghanistan is completely like, i mean, starting new life here. mohammed knobby mohammed, he is preparing to welcome his cousin, who was on board the flight and we'll likely spend a week at the base for final immigration processing. both served as u. s. military translators, enough can, is stand. in fact, 5 brothers from the mohammed, the family all signed up for the job. now 3 are in the us while the 2 youngest remain in hiding in cobble. we love to work with the us government and government, we low over countries, so we wanted to serve or the people janice and worry says he feels the same. he worked for 9 years as a translator on the front line against the

to avoid retaliation from rapidly advancing. taliban forces. heidi joke, hester, reports from fort lee virginia the buses.

that time is not on their side. heidi joe castro al jazeera fort lee, virginia. well, more on the situation in afghanistan now without diplomatic james space in cobbled, james, we talked about the fighting in the west. the un office coming under attack. how bad is this fighting? well, we can government once again saying that turning this up, tied and getting the situation on the control. but the situation of clashes around this key strategic city, the regional capital of the west, the place closest. the iranian border has gone on now for 3 days and they have not stopped the taliban attacks. we're now hearing from the ministry of interior with africa and special forces have arrived and that the afghan air force a carrying out as strong likes suddenly overnight, the military saying that they had killed or injured 100 taliban. but the view from the side is that they are still making progress in recent hours, we've seen much of the fighting on the main road linking, harass city and harass airport. given the it's all about quite a lot of territory in iraq province. th

to avoid retaliation from rapidly advancing taliban forces. heidi jo, castro reports now from fort lee virginia.

and in the morning east coast time at fort lee for dinners and their families on that flight will arrive later this morning. east coast time. at fort lee, virginia. this white house initiative aims to ensure the safe relocation of afghans who have worked for the united states over the course of the past 2 decades. many public servants at the department of state defense, homeland security and health human services. plus many from our mission staff here and are doing wise refuge out standing team. while the relocation aspect of operation allies refuge is new. this is not, of course, a new program. all these travelers qualified under existing legislation for special emigrant pieces and were fully vetted and interviewed by our consular staff. the 2009 afghan allies protection act makes clear our country's commitment to those who served alongside us at great personal risk to themselves, into their families, under its terms, afghan nationals who have worked for or on behalf of the united states government. and it were fishing, ongoing, stretched, because of that service can seek to immigrate to the united states in legislation passed yesterday, congre

army base fort lee in virginia, now safe on u.s.u in the united states if you so choose. >> reporter: president biden welcomed the interpreters home and thanked them for putting their lives on the line alongside u.s. troops in america's longest war. those arriving today are part of a group of 700 special immigrant visa or siv applicants who've completed the majority of their background screening process. they'll be at fort lee for about a week, some in temporary housing and hotels securing a medical clearance and getting the opportunity to receive a covid-19 vaccine. senator tim kaine of virginia talked about their arrival. >> we feel particularly supportive and even proud that we can be the initial place of touching soil in the united states as these afghan sivs and their family members begin a next exciting challenging chapter of opportunity in this country. >> reporter: these afghans were essential to america's efforts on the ground in afghanistan over the last 20 years. army captain payne who served in the country described the

let's begin with hydro castro, who's outside the military base in fort lee, virginia, where these former u. s. translators work is and their families are arriving heidi. that's right, kim and they have been inside the military base now for the last few hours busses having taken them from a dulles airport to this military base. they'll reside here for maybe some 7 days, were told by the u. s. government, where they will complete their health streaming, which is the final step before receiving their green cards before their resettlement in cities across the country. i spoke with a man who was awaiting his cousin, came the fort life and back. both were interpreters for us forces in afghanistan. and one of the men comes from a family of 5 brothers who all signed up for that job. now 3 of those brother brothers have received us visas. there are 2 though who remain in hiding in cobble awaiting evacuation. this is a long drawn out process for the diesel approval, some 800 days on average. and the worry is that time is simply running out for those $20000.00 was who helped us forces in afghanista

and hi, jo castro was outside the military base in fort lee virginia. heidi that's right. kim and those 220 was afghan families have now arrived here at lee the rest, the afternoon. arduous journey of lights and cobble than processing of the dulles airport. and finally, a bus ride to this military base. so be here for some 7 days. were told as they go through the final health training before receiving their permanent residence cards in the u. s. and settling across the country. and i spoke with a man already living in the us, whose husband came aboard this flight and back both of them served as translators and ask dana san for us troops. and one of them comes from a family of 5 brothers who all stepped up to perform that job. now 3 of those brothers are living in the united states as a special emigrant to others applied a year ago and are still waiting for that visa to be process. and they are in hiding in a cobble. the man who was aboard this flight came with his wife and 3 children and he was lucky that he was still working as a translator. as the u. s. truth, we're with

later on, but so this is go live to how does your cache, who's outside the military base in fort lee, virginia, heidi kim. so these families arrived here on the military base early this morning after a 16 hour flight from cobble. they were processed at an airport near washington d. c, and then bust here, and they will remain here for some 7 days or so according to the u. s. government, or they will receive their final health training before resettling across the united states. i spoke with one man living in the us who is looking forward to receiving his cousin who came aboard this flight, along with his wife and 3 children. and both of these men served as translators for us forces in afghanistan. and in fact, one of them comes from a family we're all 5 brothers have stepped up to perform that job. re, of those brothers are now living in the united states. having brothers are still in cobble and factor in hiding fearful taliban retaliation and waiting for their these us to still process on average, it taken more than $800.00 days for one of these these as to be issued. and i spoke with another

about 200 afghans, including special immigrant visa applicants and their families, traveled to fort lee, virginiaon friday. in a statement, president joe biden thanking them for standing with the u.s. during the nation's longest war, adding he's proud to tell them welcome home. now, those who arrived on friday are part of a group of 700 afghans who have completed most of the background screening process. they'll be at fort lee for about a week, securing a medical clearance and getting the opportunity to receive a covid vaccine. here's virginia senator tim kaine on their arrival. >> we feel particularly supportive and even proud that we can be the initial place of touching soil in the united states as these afghan sivs and their family members begin a next exciting, challenging chapter of opportunity in this country, just as waves of immigrants before have enriched our nation. these afghans are already enriching our nation and will continue to. >> now, these afghan nationals were essential, of course, to u.s. efforts in afghanistan over the past two decades. listen to how one army captain describe

fort. lee, virginia, w safe on u.s. home for you in the united states if you show choose. >> reporter: president biden welcomed them home, in america's war. those arriving are part of 700 immigrant visas or fib applicants. they'll be at ft. lee for about a week. some in temporary housing and hotels. securing medical clearance and getting an opportunity to receive a covid-19 vaccine. senator tim kaine of virginia talked about their arrival. >> we feel particularly supportive and proud as these fibs and their family members begin a next exciting challenging opportunity in this country. >> reporter: these afghans were essential to america's efforts on the ground in afghanistan over the last 20 years, army captain sarah payne who served in the country described the wartime camaraderie. >> i'm grateful to anybody who sat in the trenches with me, fully knowing the hazards that we faced. that more than likely, one of us was going to die. and the interpreter was right there with us, and i owe them a duty as much as any soldier

plans to relocate a small group of afghans who have applied for special immigrant visas to fort lee in virginia jake, that small group is part of the individuals that have moved pretty far along in the extensive vetting process for those looking for those siv opportunities, and the reality is just a small group out of a total of about 20,000 that have applied up to this point, there is very real recognition that while some are now moving to the u.s., others are being considered to move towards a third party. there is real work that needs to be done, and it needs to be done fast to get those who helped u.s. soldiers and helped u.s. personnel out of afghanistan, jake? >> that's right. some have already been killed by the taliban. joining us now to discuss the withdrawal from afghanistan and more, republican congressman mike turner of ohio. he's on the house armed services and intelligence committees. congressman, thank you so much for being with us. you supported president trump's decision to withdraw american troops from afghanistan may 1st. but you also say now that president biden has abandone

some afghans who helped the united states during america's longest war will head to fort lee, virginiah of the taliban who have been threatening to kill them and their families. but even after this group arrives, thousands more afghans and their families are still waiting in the wings and making heartbreaking pleas such as this one. >> this was so difficult for me that i'm living in here, they'll kill me, sir. please. i don't know what to do. i don't know with whom i should talk. >> cnn's kiley atwood follows the harrowing journey. >> i'm counting down my end of life. >> reporter: every day that the hal taliban control surges in afghanistan, the situation grows more deadly for afghan interpreters who are trying to flee the country after working alongside u.s. troops and diplomats. three interpreters who have applied for special immigrant visas to the united states or sivs spoke to cnn and described just how urgently they must get out of the country because after years of putting their lives on the line next to u.s. soldiers, the taliban are hunting them down. >> need to get out of the

and i'm glad the 700 are coming to fort lee in virginia.eed to find a safe third country that is close to the afghan area, one of our allies in that area where they can be fully processed. this will take probably one to two years, many of them haven't each filed their applications yet. >> so, do you support going to one of these third countries that the biden administration has talked about? because there was also some talk about letting them go to guam. and the governor of guam has said that he welcomes that. but the issue there is that once they're there, they would have even if they fail the vetting process, they would have more of a claim to apply for asylum because they're on u.s. territory, on u.s. ground. so you don't support the guam prospect, the guam plan? you like the third country idea? >> that would be my preference. if we can save their lives, guam would be effective. but i think it's a u.s. territory, therefore the constitution applies, as you talked about. and we don't know about their vetting. we do know the 700 have been f

say the first group of afghan interpreters evacuated from afghanistan is going to fort lee virginia.the initial group of about 2500, 700 translators and their families has completed the security vetting process. the afghans will soon finish the last step such as medical screening and final administrative requirements. demonstrations supporting antigovernment protests in cuba have expanded from south florida to washington. groups gathered outside the white house and the cuban embassy saturday. many came by bus from the miami area. limited social media posts indicate antigovernment protests are still going on in cuba, havana, and other places. saturday, former president raÚl castro joined thousand of people in a pro-government rally in havana, pushed, of course, by the cuban government. pope francis is calling for peace and dialogue in cuba following these protests. another fact though, cuba now has the highest rate of coves infections per capita in latin america. joining us tonight marco rubio member of the senate intelligence and also appropriation and foreign relations committees. s

interpreters who are considered a major target for the taliban audio counselor as life 1st, outside fort lee in virginia and id. tell us more about what the u. s. is doing to protect these afghans who worked with american forces in the country and right now at risk of death as the taliban takes more territory. right, well, very busy seeing outside of the quarterly military base. but inside we have those $200.00 plus afghans, their visitors and family members for 5, are we reading a sigh of relief. having arrived here on the 1st evacuation light that landed in the united states in early friday mornings, these are people mostly working with the u. s government even ask troll was starting and so they were at the top of the list. i spoke with one man husband who's already living in the us have been able to get a hold of his cousin on the flight family. very nice men corporate or for us. and one of them fun to my family. by brother, we all signed up to perform that things were drawn. 3 of those brothers are now in the united states having received a special immigrant visa, but youngest still remain trapped a

military's going to move at least 35,000 of these interpreters to kuwait, qatar, also fort lee, virginia tip my hat to the administration on this. your thoughts. >> yeah, i think this is great, and i know americans are going to welcome them with open arms, thanking them for the service they provided to our u.s. troops in afghanistan. this is great. get those visas ready to go, process them and bring them over to the country. charles: absolutely. i've got another winner for you. it's a new cyborg future. duke university hospital recently transplanted a totally artificial heart into a 39-year-old man. now, it's not like the old artificial hearts, this one actually mimics the human heart and provides the recipient with more independence after surgery, this is a topic that's near and dear to me. plus, beverly, it might sound macabre, but once we get automated vehicles, we're going to have fewer organs, so we might need this. >> he will be carrying his heart in a bag. there are battery packs and that is where the heartbeat takes place. cool technology, he was not able in the medical condition

you have seen we will be hosting the first group on fort lee and virginia and we expect them to arrive soon and most likely will stay there only for a short while as they complete their paperwork. we are also working on several overseas locations to host other individuals, not as far along in the process suggest the first group. some of these locations belong to us and some are in third countries and we can provide more details about which p onese will use we certainly will. this is a priority for the administration and not only do we in the department of defense have a responsibility to the bravey men and women and their families, so also do we have the responsibility to support the state department as it carries out the president's directive and of course even though the mission in afghanistan is not over, i would be remiss if i didn't take the opportunity to honor the american and allied troops who served bravely the last two decades of war and those who gave their lives there. we owe them and their families a debt we can never repay. we know these are difficult times for them and w

we will be hosting the first group of afghans at fort lee in virginia. we expect them to arrive soon and likely stay there a short while as they complete paperwork. we are working on several overseas locations to host other individuals not as far along in the visa process as the first group. some locations belong to us and some are in third countries. when we can provide more details, we will. this is a priority for the administration. not only do we in the department of defense have a responsibility to these brave men and women, so too do we have a responsibility to support the state department as it carries out the president's directive. even though our mission in afghanistan is not over, i would be remiss if i did not take the opportunity to honor the american and allied troops who have served bravely over the last two decades of war and those who gave their lives. we owe them and their families a debt we can never repay. these are difficult times for them and we will never forget all they gave for their country. for more context on where we are in af

you've seen that we'll be hosting the first group of afghans at -- on fort lee in virginia, and we expect them to arrive soon and most likely, will stay there only for short while as they complete their parolee paperwork. we're also working on several overseas locations to host other individuals not as far along in the visa process as this first group, and some of these locations belong to us, and some are in third countries, and when we can provide more details about which ones we'll use, we certainly will. this is a priority for the administration, and not only do we in the department of defense have a responsibility to these brave men and women and their families, so, too, do we have a responsibility to support the state department as it carries out the president's directive. and of course, even though our mission in afghanistan is not over, i would be remiss if i didn't take the opportunity to honor the american and allied troops who have served bravely over the last two decades of war and those who gave their lives there. we owe them and their families e debt that we can never repay.

on friday about 200 afghans seeking refugees arrived at fort lee in virginia as part of a special immigrant so many others have faced death threats from the taliban for providing u.s. support during the war and now they're hoping for a chance to keep the families and themselves safe at this point. here's cnn's kylie. >> if i don't go out of afghanistan, i'm counting down my end of life. >> reporter: every day that the taliban control surges in afghanistan, the situation grows more deadly for afghan interpreters who are trying to flee the country after working alongside u.s. troops and diplomats. three interpreters who have applied for special immigrant visas to the united states or sivs spoke to cnn and spoke about how urgently they must get out of the country. because after years of putting their lives on the line with american soldiers, the taliban is after them. >> our future will be dark. they're going to cut our heads too. >> he's referring to a recent report of the taliban beheading afghans who worked alongside u.s. troops. these afghans fear for their families as well as themselves.

army base fort lee in virginia. now, safe on u.s.u in the united states, if you so chose. >> reporter: president biden welcomed the interpreters home and thanked them for putting their lives on the line alongside u.s. troops in america's longest war. those arriving today are part of a group of 700 special immigrant visa applicants that completed the majority of their background screening process. they will be at fort lee for about a week at temporary housing and hotels securing a medical clearance and getting the opportunity to receive a covid-19 vaccine. senator tim kaine of virginia talked about their arrival. >> we feel particularly supportive and even proud that we can be the initial place of touching soil in the united states as these afghan sivs and family members begin the next exciting, challenging opportunity in the country rmp th. >> reporter: these afghans were esse essential to america's efforts. sarah payne that served described the war time comr comradery. >> i'm grateful to anyone that sat in the trenches with me fully

and will be sent by bus to fort lee in virginia. about 2500 have been cleared so far to come to the u.s. or to american military bases in the middle east as they await processing. the plane something organized by the state department. trace? >> trace: that is a bit of good news. jenson griffin live for us at the pentagon. stocks were mixed the dow lost 12 u8, the s&p 500 dropped a point. the nasdaq gained 102. there are increasing concerns about covid tonight along the southern border. reports say many illegal immigrants who have tested positive for the virus are being release nude areas where they can interact with the public. correspondent rich edson is in la joya, texas tonight. >> in la joya, texas town of 4500 residents. officials say their border down has experienced migrant surges before. this time there is a significant difference. >> no one told the police department that these people were here. and no one told us that these people were possibly ill. police say catholic charities has rented this hotel to house migrants who

buses brought them to the army base at fort lee in virginia they're the first round of after began evacueesaliban hunts down our allies matt zeller now, truman project national security fellow advised troops on the ground in afghanistan, matt, thank you this just the first group to make it out. there are so many others is the u.s. doing enough to get them out of there? >> no, this one plane, which is a great start, you know, let's celebrate what it is, even a month ago this was not something that we thought was going to come to fruition, but that one plane represents 0.3% of all of the people that we've gotten out so far there are 99.7% of the people remaining, and that's about 88,000 people according to the government report that was just released earlier this week about how many applicants are still in the system we only have a plan to evacuate people who can get to kabul. half of the population that we know that needs evacuation are outside of kabul the taliban controlled the roads between the cities and there simply aren't enough between the cities to move them back and forth, and the a

i urge the administration -- they have 700 now come to fort lee in virginia. i urge the administration to get the rest of them. there are 9,000 interpreters. probably 20,000 total when it comes to our afghan partners. please, mr. president, get them out before they are killed by the taliban. our i.s.r., intelligence surveillance cognizance capability is out. bagram fell to the afghans in a very sloppy transition, and the taliban is going to take that over, too. now, we can't see what china, russia, and iran are doing. we can't see what isis and al qaeda are doing, mr. speaker. we are going dark, mr. speaker, because we can't see anything on the ground. i will tell you this, the moral obligation we have to save those who we promised we would protect them has to be fulfilled, and that's precisely what this bill does, mr. speaker. and i want to thank the judiciary committee for bringing this forward. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. nadler: mr. speak

i urge the administration -- they have 700 now come to fort lee in virginia. i urge the administration to get the rest of them. there are 9,000 interpreters. probably 20,000 total when it comes to our afghan partners. please, mr. president, get them out before they are killed by the taliban. our i.s.r., intelligence surveillance cognizance capability is out. bagram fell to the afghans in a very sloppy transition, and the taliban is going to take that over, too. now, we can't see what china, russia, and iran are doing. we can't see what isis and al qaeda are doing, mr. speaker. we are going dark, mr. speaker, because we can't see anything on the ground. i will tell you this, the moral obligation we have to save those who we promised we would protect them has to be fulfilled, and that's precisely what this bill does, mr. speaker. and i want to thank the judiciary committee for bringing this forward. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. nadler: mr. speak

immigrant visa applicants, including more than 70 children, arrived this morning via bus at fort lee in virginia. they will be staying in these hotels prepared by the military as they complete their visa applications, expected to take about a week. and these are the people who were at the very end of a 14- step, years-long visa process. and they're just a fraction of the 5,000 special immigrant visas issued by the u.s. embassy in kabul this year, and what advocates say is tens of thousands of afghans and their family members in the pipeline. and, advocates say, their evacuation is a matter of life and death. afghans who risked their lives to work for the u.s. in afghanistan over the last 20 years have been threatened, targeted, or even killed by the taliban. and some national security experts argue, if the u.s. doesn't evacuate them, prospective u.s. partners in future wars might not trust the u.s. can protect them. >> woodruff: what about all the others who remain in afghanistan? what happens to them? >> schifrin: the administration and congress have worked together to lift the red tape these a

from the taliban for working with the u.s., initially they will be flown from afghanistan to fort lee, virginiajust south of richmond, for short-term housing while awaiting final processing for special immigrant visas allowing them to stay in the u.s.. a note on that, the u.s. house is taking up a bill today that deals with the special immigrant visas. you will see debate on that later on the house floor, they come in for morning speeches at 10:00, legislative business at noon. one note from afghanistan, we are just seeing a text from bill in palm springs, who says he gives biden and a minus and that he's disappointed in the rapid pullout from afghanistan, that we are abandoning our friends there. "it's good to have a gentle, articulate, intelligent person surrounded by articulate intelligent people." michigan, good morning. caller: good morning, bill. i agree with the guy from springs. i would give him a b plus. i'm not that thrilled with things at the border. i think they need to address the things at the border, although no president in 40 years has been able to address it. i would also be i

administration will house 700 interpreters and 1800 of their family members at the fort lee military base in virginia the processing of their special immigrant visa applications which have been long held up, but for the other 18,000 interpreters seeking special visas for themselves and their families their future is far less certain. with rapid advancements adding increased urgency to get them to safety soon. joining us now is virginia democratic congresswoman and former cia officer, i stand corrected abigail stenberger. there was a standoff when they were not in and working on it, recently that's been resolved and more people are coming to do it, but these people are in imminent danger and how quickly can you get this legislation through? you do have bipartisan support. >> that's right. tomorrow we'll be voting on a bill to make sure that we can bring far more afghan interpreters out of harm's way and recognize this tremendous sacrifice that they and their families have made in their devotion to and support of u.s. military operations. i think for all of your viewers it's just so important to know t

you have seen we will be hostin the first group of afghans in fort lee in virginia. arrive soon and most likely will only stay there for a short while as they complete they're paperwork. we're also working on several overseas locations to host othe individuals not as far along in the visa process is the first group. some of these locations belong to us, and some are in third countries and when we can provide more details about whic ones will use, we certainly will . this is a priority for the administration. not only do we in the departmen of defense have a responsibilit to these brave men and women an their families, so too do we have a responsibility to suppor the state department as it carries out the president's directive. of course, even though our mission in afghanistan is not over, i would be remiss if i didn't take the opportunity to honor the american and allied troops who have served bravely over the last two decades of war . and those who gave their lives they are. we owe them and their families debt that we can never repay. we know these are difficult tim

they were taken on bosses to fort lee military base. the state of virginia, 20000, others of applied for special immigrant visas and what's been a long and complicated process. many of them are in tupper says, who are considered a major target for the taliban? meanwhile, inside the country view and main compound in western afghanistan has come under attack, at least one person was killed as been intent fighting between government forces and the taliban in and around herat. diplomatic edits a james base has more in this now from cobble, according to local report. is this fighting on the road between herat city and herat airport? we believe the airport is currently closed because of that fighting. we're also hearing the un compound, which is all that road from the city to the airport has come on the attack. i'm hearing from local sources that no un stuff had been killed or injured. but there were guards working for the african government around that compound. and there are reports that some may have been taken injured, the reports been taken hostage. there als

arrived at the fort lee army base in virginia about two and a half hours south of d.c.white buses there. they landed at dulles airport in the early morning hours. among the thousands being evacuated as the u.s. moves out the remaining troops in that country in about a month. the interpreters a top target for the taliban. in a statement, president biden said i want to thank these brave afghans for standing with the united states and today i am proud to say to them welcome home. i've been reporting out pieces of the story and a couple of weeks ago, i spoke with one of the interpreters who had been evacuated a few years ago. watch. >> they really deserve it to be moved out of the country otherwise they would lose their lives. >> i talked with dan crenshaw leading the charge to authorization 800 additional visas. >> i think they deserve a shot to be a part of their country. they won't get that shot if they're left behind. >> nbc is following this from the pentagon. talk about what is next for the interpreters and families at fort lee. what about the rest? there are thousand

alongside american lead forces during the war buffers have taken them to the fort lee military base in the state of virginia. 221 people and all on those buses. 57 of them, children. 15 are babies. but 20000 others have applied for the f i v. the special immigrant visa. those who worked for the us governmental military for at least 2 years eligible. the process has been long and complicated. on thursday, though, the u. s. congress did ease some of the restrictions of the requirements, allowing more visas for afghans and provided emergency funding for their transportation and housing. we have got 3 reporters on the story at this hour. a diplomatic get at the james spaces in cobble. we've got alan fisher at the white house. i'll be with both of you shortly. want to stop there. with heidi, is your counselor who's outside the military base in fort lee. but you need tell us about what you've been saying. haughty. come on earlier this morning. the bus is billed with the 1st wave of the translators and their families live here at the portly army base behind me. they are, there are $220.00. some people who will now