Milley says U.S. working on plans to evacuate Afghan interpreters, others who aided America

As the U.S. plans to withdraw all of its troops from Afghanistan by later this year, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said  Thursday that the American government is working on plans to evacuate Afghan interpreters and others who have assisted the U.S.

Milley noted that those people's "safety could be at risk" and that there is recognition of the importance "that we do what's necessary to ensure their protection, and if necessary, get them out of the country, if that's what they want to do."

NBC News reported that a spokesperson for the National Security Council said in a statement: "I refer you to the Joint Staff to characterize Gen. Milley's comments. I can tell you we have no plans for evacuations at this time. The State Department is processing SIV applications in Kabul. They are focused on ensuring that the system functions quickly and consistent with U.S. security and other application requirements."