Blinken, Austin urged to do more to protect Afghans who worked for U.S.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken listens during a joint news conference after the Foreign and Defense Ministerial meeting between South Korea and U.S. at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, March 18, 2021. Lee Jin-man/Pool via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former senior U.S. officials have urged the U.S. secretaries of state and defense to do more to provide visas to Afghans who worked for the United States in Afghanistan before U.S. forces withdraw, according to letters seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden has decided to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, raising concerns of a full-scale civil war, the Taliban's return to power and continued reprisals against Afghans associated with the U.S. presence.