US scraps plan to use S. Korea, Japan bases for Afghan refugees

SEOUL • The United States has decided against the idea of using its largest overseas military bases in South Korea and Japan to house Afghan refugees temporarily, two sources with close knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

US officials "appeared to have figured out better sites and decided to remove both countries from the list because of logistics and geography, among other reasons", one of the sources said on condition of anonymity.

The South Korean government had responded positively when the US first floated the idea, the source added.

The US State Department did not respond to a request for comment.

South Korea is also working with the US to evacuate some 400 Afghans who had worked with the country's troops and relief workers, and bring them to Seoul, the sources said.

Most of the Afghans involved are medical personnel, engineers, translators and others who had helped South Korean troops stationed there between 2001 and 2014, or took part in a reconstruction mission from 2010 to 2014 involving medical and vocational training.

"Despite some domestic resistance towards accepting refugees, these people helped us and it has to be done, given the humanitarian concerns and the trust of the international community," said one of the sources.

Plans to bring them to South Korea were fraught with uncertainty due to the volatile situation in Kabul, where thousands of people are scrambling to the airport, desperate to flee Afghanistan following the Taleban's takeover of the capital on Aug 15.

The US and its allies are racing to complete the evacuation of all foreigners and vulnerable Afghans before the expiry of an Aug 31 deadline agreed with the Taleban.

REUTERS

Number of Afghans who had worked with South Korean troops and relief workers. South Korea is working with the US to evacuate them and bring them to Seoul.