Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev, File
FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2001 file photo, Northern Alliance soldiers watch as U.S. air strikes pound Taliban positions in Kunduz province near the town of Khanabad, Afghanistan. It has been 20 years since Taliban-led Afghanistan fell to a U.S.-led coalition in the months after the Sept. 11 attacks. For Afghans, that means 20 years of change.Â
AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev, File
FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2001 file photo, Northern Alliance soldiers watch as U.S. air strikes pound Taliban positions in Kunduz province near the town of Khanabad, Afghanistan. It has been 20 years since Taliban-led Afghanistan fell to a U.S.-led coalition in the months after the Sept. 11 attacks. For Afghans, that means 20 years of change.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/Dusan Vranic, File
FILE - In this Nov. 24, 2001 file photo, a column of Taliban fighters go through the front line in the village of Amirabad, northern Afghanistan, as hundreds of Taliban defected to the northern alliance, paving the way for the fall of Kunduz where several thousand foreign fighters are thought to remain.Â
AP Photo/Dusan Vranic, File
FILE - In this Nov. 24, 2001 file photo, a column of Taliban fighters go through the front line in the village of Amirabad, northern Afghanistan, as hundreds of Taliban defected to the northern alliance, paving the way for the fall of Kunduz where several thousand foreign fighters are thought to remain.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, File
FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2001 file photo, an Afghan anti-Taliban fighter pops up from his tank to spot a U.S. warplane bombing al-Qaida fighters in the White Mountains of Tora Bora in Afghanistan. Anti-Taliban forces and U.S. warplanes continued to hit the Tora Bora mountains and the al-Qaida fighters occupying the area.Â
AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, File
FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2001 file photo, an Afghan anti-Taliban fighter pops up from his tank to spot a U.S. warplane bombing al-Qaida fighters in the White Mountains of Tora Bora in Afghanistan. Anti-Taliban forces and U.S. warplanes continued to hit the Tora Bora mountains and the al-Qaida fighters occupying the area.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, File
FILE - In this March 21, 2006 file photo, men play the traditional game Buzkashi in Kabul, Afghanistan, in a special match held as part of celebrations for the New Year. According the solar calendar used in Afghanistan, the year is 1385.Â
AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, File
FILE - In this March 21, 2006 file photo, men play the traditional game Buzkashi in Kabul, Afghanistan, in a special match held as part of celebrations for the New Year. According the solar calendar used in Afghanistan, the year is 1385.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, File
FILE - In this Nov. 22, 2006 file photo, a Canadian soldier, and a soldier from the Afghan National Army, behind wall, walk along a destroyed grape drying silo at the Canadian base near the town of Zhari in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan. The holes in the wall are for mounting sticks for drying grapes.Â
AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, File
FILE - In this Nov. 22, 2006 file photo, a Canadian soldier, and a soldier from the Afghan National Army, behind wall, walk along a destroyed grape drying silo at the Canadian base near the town of Zhari in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan. The holes in the wall are for mounting sticks for drying grapes.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, File
FILE - In this May 11, 2009 file photo, soldiers from the U.S. Army First Battalion, 26th Infantry take defensive positions at firebase Restrepo after receiving fire from Taliban positions in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan's Kunar Province. Spc. Zachary Boyd of Fort Worth, Texas, left, was wearing "I love NY" boxer shorts after rushing from his sleeping quarters to join his fellow platoon members, at right, Spc. Cecil Montgomery of Many, La., and Jordan Custer of Spokan, Wash., center.Â
AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, File
FILE - In this May 11, 2009 file photo, soldiers from the U.S. Army First Battalion, 26th Infantry take defensive positions at firebase Restrepo after receiving fire from Taliban positions in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan's Kunar Province. Spc. Zachary Boyd of Fort Worth, Texas, left, was wearing "I love NY" boxer shorts after rushing from his sleeping quarters to join his fellow platoon members, at right, Spc. Cecil Montgomery of Many, La., and Jordan Custer of Spokan, Wash., center.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File
FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2009 file photo, a child watches military vehicles of 5th Striker Brigades drive past his village on the outskirts of Spin Boldak, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) southeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan.Â
AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File
FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2009 file photo, a child watches military vehicles of 5th Striker Brigades drive past his village on the outskirts of Spin Boldak, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) southeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File
FILE - In this July 30, 2010 file photo, a U.S. medevac helicopter arrives for Spc. Jeremy Kuehl, 24, of Altoona, Iowa, from the 1-320th Alpha Battery, 2nd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division, who was seriously wounded when he stepped on an improvised mine near Command Outpost Nolen, in the volatile Arghandab Valley of Kandahar, Afghanistan.Â
AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File
FILE - In this July 30, 2010 file photo, a U.S. medevac helicopter arrives for Spc. Jeremy Kuehl, 24, of Altoona, Iowa, from the 1-320th Alpha Battery, 2nd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division, who was seriously wounded when he stepped on an improvised mine near Command Outpost Nolen, in the volatile Arghandab Valley of Kandahar, Afghanistan.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, File
FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2010 file photo, U.S. Air Force pararescue members ride in the back of their medevac helicopter with the American flag draped over bodies of U.S. soldiers who were killed in a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan's Kandahar province.Â
AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, File
FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2010 file photo, U.S. Air Force pararescue members ride in the back of their medevac helicopter with the American flag draped over bodies of U.S. soldiers who were killed in a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan's Kandahar province.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/Dusan Vranic, File
FILE - In this Nov. 3, 2010 file photo, First Sgt. Yomen English, of Brookland, Ark., with India company, 3rd Battalion 5th Marines, First Marine Division, talks to a boy during a patrol, in Sangin, Afghanistan.Â
AP Photo/Dusan Vranic, File
FILE - In this Nov. 3, 2010 file photo, First Sgt. Yomen English, of Brookland, Ark., with India company, 3rd Battalion 5th Marines, First Marine Division, talks to a boy during a patrol, in Sangin, Afghanistan.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/Altaf Qadri, File
FILE - In this Dec. 27, 2010 file photo, a woman carries water in a plastic container as she ascends a slope on the way towards her home in Kabul, Afghanistan.Â
AP Photo/Altaf Qadri, File
FILE - In this Dec. 27, 2010 file photo, a woman carries water in a plastic container as she ascends a slope on the way towards her home in Kabul, Afghanistan.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/Altaf Qadri, File
FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2011 file photo, a balloon seller riding a bicycle looks towards a woman holding hands with two young girls at a market in Kabul, Afghanistan.Â
AP Photo/Altaf Qadri, File
FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2011 file photo, a balloon seller riding a bicycle looks towards a woman holding hands with two young girls at a market in Kabul, Afghanistan.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/Ahmad Jamshid, File
FILE - In this Sept, 8, 2012 file photo, Afghans carry a wreath of flowers during a ceremony commemorating the 11th anniversary of the death of Ahmad Shah Massoud in Kabul, Afghanistan. The charismatic Northern Alliance commander was killed in an al-Qaida suicide bombing two days before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Urdu writing on wreath reads, "From the Gulam Haidar Khan High School."Â
AP Photo/Ahmad Jamshid, File
FILE - In this Sept, 8, 2012 file photo, Afghans carry a wreath of flowers during a ceremony commemorating the 11th anniversary of the death of Ahmad Shah Massoud in Kabul, Afghanistan. The charismatic Northern Alliance commander was killed in an al-Qaida suicide bombing two days before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Urdu writing on wreath reads, "From the Gulam Haidar Khan High School."Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File
FILE - In this May 13, 2013 file photo, a boy flies his kite on a hill overlooking Kabul, Afghanistan. Kite flying was banned during the Taliban regime.Â
AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File
FILE - In this May 13, 2013 file photo, a boy flies his kite on a hill overlooking Kabul, Afghanistan. Kite flying was banned during the Taliban regime.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File
FILE - In this Nov. 25, 2013 file photo, police officers smoke a water pipe as they enjoy a quiet moment at their checkpoint overlooking Kabul, Afghanistan.Â
AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File
FILE - In this Nov. 25, 2013 file photo, police officers smoke a water pipe as they enjoy a quiet moment at their checkpoint overlooking Kabul, Afghanistan.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File
FILE - In this Nov. 26, 2013 file photo, Afghan Army soldiers participate in morning exercises at a training facility in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan.Â
AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File
FILE - In this Nov. 26, 2013 file photo, Afghan Army soldiers participate in morning exercises at a training facility in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/Zabi Karimi, File
FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2021 file photo, Taliban fighters take control of Afghan presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.Â
AP Photo/Zabi Karimi, File
FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2021 file photo, Taliban fighters take control of Afghan presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File
FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2021 file photo, a U.S. Chinook helicopter flies over the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. Helicopters are landing at the embassy as diplomatic vehicles are leaving the compound amid the Taliban advance on the Afghan capital.Â
AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File
FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2021 file photo, a U.S. Chinook helicopter flies over the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. Helicopters are landing at the embassy as diplomatic vehicles are leaving the compound amid the Taliban advance on the Afghan capital.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
Senior Airman Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force via AP, File
FILE - In this Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021 photo provided by the U.S. Air Force, aircrew assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron assist qualified evacuees boarding a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in support of the Afghanistan evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan.Â
Senior Airman Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force via AP, File
FILE - In this Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021 photo provided by the U.S. Air Force, aircrew assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron assist qualified evacuees boarding a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in support of the Afghanistan evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan.Â
Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla/U.S. Marine Corps via AP, File
FILE - In this Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021 photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Marines with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force - Crisis Response - Central Command, provide assistance during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan.Â
Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla/U.S. Marine Corps via AP, File
FILE - In this Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021 photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Marines with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force - Crisis Response - Central Command, provide assistance during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan.Â
Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama — along with former first ladies Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama — are serving as honorary co-chairs for the group Welcome.US.
Welcome.US, the group said in a news release, is aimed at engaging “all Americans to welcome and support refugees, beginning with the individuals and families who fled Afghanistan” following the American withdrawal from the nation in recent weeks. After the biggest military evacuation in history, the Biden administration is now tasked with resettling more than 60,000 Afghan refugees in the US over the next several weeks.
About 17% of those who have already arrived are US citizens and lawful permanent residents and can head to their destinations without first passing through military bases. The rest, however, will go to bases to receive medical screening — including Covid-19 vaccinations — before they’re relocated to communities around the country.
Welcome.US has gathered the former presidents — as well as a bipartisan group of governors, including Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, and other leaders — to serve as a central point of contact for public and private efforts to help in the massive effort to help Afghan refugees as they establish lives in the US. It will connect and coordinate efforts among state and local governments, as well as non-profit organizations, corporations, universities and others, according to the group.
It will provide grants to non-profit organizations and will launch a six-figure advertising campaign “to highlight the need for all Americans to join the thousands of people who’ve already stepped up to welcome our new Afghan neighbors as they get settled and build their new lives.” Also among those efforts, the group said in the news release, are support for housing via Airbnb; meals via Instacart; grants from Walmart, Starbucks and Microsoft; and ad credits from Facebook to promote the organization.
“Thousands of Afghans stood with us on the front lines to push for a safer world, and now they need our help,” the Bushes said in a statement on the organization. “We are proud to support Welcome.US and the work to help Afghan families get settled and build new lives. We stand ready to show our new Afghan neighbors and the rest of the world how a welcoming and generous spirit forms the backbone of what makes our country so great.”
It was not immediately clear whether former Presidents Donald Trump or Jimmy Carter had been invited to participate in the effort, and a spokesperson for the group did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Clinton and Obama joined President Joe Biden on Saturday for an observance of the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City. Bush spoke at another 9/11 observance event in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, alongside Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump, however, commemorated the 20th anniversary in a short video in which he praised first responders and lambasted Biden for the handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, before providing commentary on a boxing match.
“There is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home,” Bush said Saturday. “But in their disdain for pluralism, in their disregard for human life, in their determination to defile national symbols, they are children of the same foul spirit,” a seeming reference to the violent insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6.
It’s not the first crisis effort where former presidents have joined together for a common cause.
Bush and Clinton came together in 2005 to raise funds for those impacted by the tsunami in Indonesia and again in 2010 to establish the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund to aid with long-term recovery following a catastrophic earthquake in that nation.
