WASHINGTON, August 18. /TASS/. The US maintains contacts with Russia and China on the issue of evacuating people from Afghanistan, including those who assisted American servicemen and are eligible for the special SIV visa program, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at a regular briefing on Tuesday.

"Well, first we, of course, are in touch with the Chinese and the Russians as we work to bring men and women out of Afghanistan and including our SIV applicants and others," she noted.

"Our objective in Afghanistan is to deliver also on what the president promised, which is to not put the men and women who have served our country bravely over the past 20 years in harm’s way again," the press secretary added.

According to US news outlets, about 18,000 Afghans who assisted US troops and about 53,000 family members are hoping to obtain immigration visas to the US. However, this is a rather lengthy process so it was decided to evacuate them. According to the New York Times newspaper, the evacuation from Afghanistan does not grant privileges during the US visa application process nor does it guarantee that those people won’t be deported if their application is rejected.

On August 15, the militants of the Taliban radical movement (outlawed in Russia) entered Kabul without encountering any resistance and within several hours took complete control of the capital. President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani left the country. Western countries are evacuating their residents and embassy staff.

On February 14, 2003, the Russian Supreme Court declared the Taliban to be a terrorist organization. The extremist organization’s activities are outlawed nationwide.