Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


US Lawmakers Push Biden to Evacuate USAGM Journalists, Families

Esha Sarai

   U.S. lawmakers pushed PresidentJoeBidenonWednesday to evacuatehundreds
   of people affiliated with the U.S. Agency for Global Mediafrom
   Afghanistan as Washingtonrushesto meetatroop withdrawal deadline of
   August 31.

   In a letter sent toBiden onWednesday, Senator Ben Cardin
   andRepresentativeWilliam Keatingsaidabout550 people--employees of USAGM
   and their families--are stilltryingtoleave Afghanistan.

   USAGM is an independent federal agencythatencompasses several news
   networks,including the Voice of America and Radio Azadi.

   "We stress to you that the 550 USAGM employees and their families areno
   different from journalists you have alreadydoggedlyworked to
   evacuate,"the letter read, noting that the administration has worked
   with multiple American publications to evacuate their employees.

     New: Bipartisan letter pushing the Administration to evacuate VOA
     and Radio Azadi journalists -- US Government employees, still stuck
     there. (7 more pages of signatures after this one)
     [1]pic.twitter.com/hNZdCdlqJx
     -- Ben Smith (@benyt) [2]August 25, 2021

   "They have been and continue to be a target for the Taliban due to
   their association with the United Statesgovernment,"the letterstated.

   USAGM did not respond to a request for comment.

   Evacuation efforts for Afghan journalists haveincreasedthis week amid
   reports that Taliban fighters have beensearchingthe homes of some media
   workers.

   In the past week, the Taliban searched properties belonging to at least
   five journalists, [3]media rights organizations said.

   The reports of harassment and searches come a week after the Taliban
   held its first news conference in Kabul.

   The White House said Wednesdaythatmore than80,000 people have been
   evacuated from Kabulsince the end of July.

References

   1. https://t.co/hNZdCdlqJx
   2. https://twitter.com/benyt/status/1430623797955149830?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   3. https://www.voanews.com/press-freedom/afghanistan-evacuation-efforts-intensify-amid-reports-taliban-searches-journalists

.