Afghans who worked with CBS News evacuated to Doha

CBS News secured the evacuation of Afghans who supported its media coverage on the ground in Afghanistan.

The group of workers and their families – dozens in total – arrived safe and sound in Qatar’s capital Doha on Tuesday morning for treatment. They aim to eventually obtain refugee status in the United States.

“We worked to ensure the safe departure of our Afghan colleagues from the country as events intensified. These are extraordinary circumstances involving many levels of coordination between our teams in London and Washington, DC.” said Neeraj Khemlani, president and co-director of CBS News and CBS television stations.

Khemlani thanked everyone involved in the effort as well as those around the world “who work to report and protect our teams safely as they bring vital information to the public.”

Workers who supported CBS News in Afghanistan provided essential assistance to other reporting from the region during the US-led campaign. war in afghanistan, including as journalists, interpreters and drivers.

Senior members of CBS News’ editorial and legal teams worked with ViacomCBS before the Taliban returned to power to defend the interests of Afghans who were helping the media.

In July, CBS News and other outlets called on the Biden administration to support the creation of a visa program for Afghans who worked with the American press and sought safety in the United States.

“We are doing what we can as private organizations to help our former and current Afghan colleagues, but our ability to provide relief is limited,” CBS News and other organizations wrote in a letter to President Biden and the US Secretary of State. “Without the help of the US government, many of these Afghans risk serious injury and death for doing nothing more than lend their work and skills to making sure the world knows what is going on in their area. country while US troops were there in the past. twenty years. “

In another letter, in August, news outlets urged the Biden administration to work with Congress to expand a visa program to help Afghans who have worked with US media companies. CBS News and others also called on the administration to act immediately to allow media companies to refer Afghan workers, including freelancers and contractors, to the United States refugee admissions program. .