The New York Times reported that a first group of Afghan pilots - who fled with their families to Uzbekistan via an Afghan Air Force plane - were transferred on Sunday to a military base in the UAE, amid expectations that more pilots will be transferred.
The newspaper quoted this information from the Republican member of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, August Pflueger, who also said, “I am very happy that they got out, but this was not a smooth process, the pilots were the striking force in the Afghan army against the Taliban, and it is very important to do everything we can.” to protect them."
The New York Times reported that the former US service members - who trained many Afghan pilots - are working closely with members of Congress and the State Department to arrange the transportation of the pilots to US bases in the Middle East.
It is not yet clear whether the group of pilots will eventually be transferred to the United States or elsewhere.
The newspaper pointed out that it is expected that two more groups of Afghan pilots and their families will be transferred in the coming days, under an arrangement negotiated by the United States with Uzbekistan to transport more than 450 Afghans.
Before the transfer of the first group to the Emirates, the Afghan pilots were caught in the middle of a diplomatic battle, as the Taliban pressured the Uzbek government to hand them over, while the United States was calling on Uzbekistan to fulfill its pledge in order to secure safe passage for the Afghan army elements who fought alongside it.
Even if all pilots, maintenance crews and their relatives are safely transferred from Uzbekistan to other safe places, Representative Pfluger expressed his concerns about the fate of more than 40 advanced American helicopters that those pilots were working on, and said, "We do not want them to fall into the hands of the Taliban or al-Qaeda."