US agencies scrub websites to protect Afghans left behind

By MATTHEW LEE, ASHRAF KHALIL and GARY FIELDS
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Multiple federal agencies that operated in Afghanistan and worked with Afghan citizens have been hastily purging their websites, removing articles and photos that could endanger the Afghan civilians who interacted with them out of fear of retribution from the Taliban. The concern is that the Taliban or its supporters would search the websites and identify Afghans who had worked with the Americans or merely benefited from their services. State Department Spokesman Ned Price says the department is advising personnel to search for and remove social media and website content featuring civilians because the safety of Afghan contacts “is of utmost importance” to the U.S. government.