One flight left the base Saturday with just a few hundred evacuees headed for Philadelphia, a spokesman for the 86th Airlift Wing informed CNN. Five extra flights are anticipated Sunday, with roughly 1,000 evacuees flying to the US each day till the complete Afghan inhabitants of roughly 9,000 at Ramstein departs.
“We’ve been at this longer than I think anyone anticipated, but we’re glad that we’ll soon complete the mission and get back to normal operations,” mentioned Brigadier General Josh Olson, the commander of the 86th Airlift Wing and Ramstein Air Base. “Our focus now is on finishing strong, bidding our guests farewell, and completing the mission.”
More than 49,000 Afghan evacuees quickly staying at army installations in the US have been vaccinated for MMR and varicella (chickenpox). Evacuees are additionally receiving vaccinations in Europe and the Middle East.
Ramstein turned considered one of the main transit factors for Afghans fleeing their house nation and making their approach to the US. The base was solely supposed to home Afghans for 10 days, however had to accommodate the evacuees for weeks as temperatures dropped in Germany.