Indiana to receive 1st Afghan evacuees as early as this week

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Roughly 1,000 Afghanistan evacuees are expected to arrive as early as this week at the Indiana National Guard's Camp Atterbury training base, where they'll be provided temporary housing and support services before further resettlement, state officials announced Wednesday.

Camp Atterbury, located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Indianapolis, is expected to receive approximately 5,000 Afghan refugees in the coming weeks, said R. Dale Lyles, adjutant general of the Indiana National Guard.

After the first wave of evacuees arrive, additional arrivals are anticipated in increments of 1,000.

Lyles said active-duty and National Guard service members will provide the Afghan evacuees with housing, medical, logistics and transportation. An additional 800 soldiers from Texas' Fort Hood and a medical team from Kentucky's Fort Knox will arrive at Camp Atterbury on Wednesday night, he added.

Upon their arrival, the evacuees will be subject to a 14-day quarantine within Camp Atterbury to determine their medical and visa statuses. The goal is for non-governmental agencies to resettle evacuees within 10 weeks, Lyles said.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said the operation is federally funded and comes at no cost burden to the state.

The last U.S. forces flew out of Kabul's airport Tuesday, ending America's longest war following an airlift of Afghans, Americans and others seeking to escape a countr y once again ruled by Taliban militants.

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Casey Smith is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.