U.S. to evacuate Afghan interpreters before military withdrawal complete -officials

FILE PHOTO: A U.S. soldier from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment walks with the unit's Afghan interpreter before a mission near forward operating base Gamberi in the Laghman province of Afghanistan December 11, 2014. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is set to evacuate thousands of vulnerable Afghan interpreters before the U.S. military completes its withdrawal from Afghanistan so they can wrap up their visa applications from safety, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

The evacuation of the at-risk Afghans will include their family members for a total of as many as 50,000 people, a senior Republican lawmaker told Reuters.