ISTANBUL

A group of Afghan nationals seeking to resettle in the US arrived in the Philippines on Monday, according to media reports.

The incoming Afghans will stay in the Southeast Asian nation for a maximum of 59 days under Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) established by Washington in 2009 to settle those who worked on behalf of the US.

Under the special program, a maximum of 300 Afghans from the war-torn nation will travel to the Philippines before flying to the US, according to Rappler.com.

The report did not give details about how many Afghans arrived or how long the visa processing would take.

Manila will be managing the inflow and forward movement of SIV applications for the next 100 days.

The US-led foreign forces invaded Afghanistan in the early 2000s, leading to the killing and displacement of thousands of Afghans.

The foreign forces eventually exited Afghanistan in August 2021, when the Taliban returned to rule the country, home to around 42 million people.

If the visiting Afghans are unable to secure the SIV within 50 days, they will have to leave the Philippines.

The Afghans will be housed at an undisclosed location in the Philippines except for their one trip to the US Embassy in Manila, the report said.