The Philippines has agreed to temporarily host a “limited number” of Afghans being considered for resettlement in the United States, US and Philippine officials have announced.
The US government will support “necessary services” for Afghans as they undergo visa processing in the Philippines, including food, housing, security, medical, and transport, the US Department of State said in a statement on Monday.
“The United States appreciates its long and positive history of bilateral cooperation with the Philippines and thanks the Philippine government for supporting Afghan allies of the United States,” the State Department said.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the agreement was undergoing “final domestic procedures” needed to ensure its effectiveness.
Washington and Manila did not specify the number of Afghans that would undergo visa processing in the Philippines.
But The Washington Post, quoting unnamed US officials, said about 300 Afghan applicants would be processed in the Southeast Asian country.
The deal is the latest sign of deepening ties between Washington and Manila under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, whose election in 2022 marked a shift away from the China-friendly stance of his populist predecessor Rodrigo Duterte.
More than 160,000 Afghans have been resettled in the US since 2021, when the Taliban retook control of the country following Washington’s withdrawal of its forces.
Thousands of others are in third countries awaiting visa processing for possible relocation under an initiative dubbed Operation Allies Welcome.
Many of those eligible for resettlement worked for the US government before the collapse of the Western-backed Afghan National Security Forces.
The news that the US had requested its ally to consider hosting Afghan applicants prompted opposition from some Filipinos on legal and security grounds when it became public last year.
Marcos said last June that the proposal raised “many security issues” even as he emphasised the “long tradition” of the Philippines accepting refugees.
