As the U.S. Army’s 20-year mission in Afghanistan started to wind down, Operation Allies Refuge began. Operation Allies Refuge was designed to facilitate the quick, safe evacuation of U.S. citizens, Special Immigrant Visa applicants and other at-risk Afghans from Afghanistan, but there is more work and assistance to be done.
Approximately 24,000 evacuees have landed at Ramstein Air Base near Kaiserslautern, Germany, since August, according to Air Force officials. Rhine Ordnance Barracks or ROB, a U.S. Army installation just down the road from Ramstein, has a Deployment Processing Center currently being used to provide additional housing, medical and logistical support to the Department of State for Afghan special immigrants and...
Matthew Jira, left, foreign service officer with US AID, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Angela Morrow, middle, assigned to 361st Civil Affairs Brigade, 7th Mission Support Command and civilian interpreter Lina Zaman speak with U.S. Citizens returning to the United States at Rhine Ordnance Barracks, Kaiserslautern, Germany, Aug. 30, 2021. The 361st Civil Affairs Brigade assists other agencies in the onward movement of Afghan evacuees as Operation Allies Refuge continues across the European Theater. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Megan Fischer)
