More than 500 Afghans who served as interpreters for the Australian military have been allowed to settle in the country, the government announced Sunday, according to dpa. They were assessed as being at risk because of their involvement with Australia's mission in Afghanistan. Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the interpreters and their families have been accepted as refugees under a "discrete immigration program." They were brought to Australia in late 2013 and early 2014, but the government only revealed the details Sunday because of the risk of exposing them before they had left Afghanistan. Canberra has pulled out most of its troops from Afghanistan except for about 400 left behind for training and support operations. Forty Australians have been killed and 261 wounded in the longest war in the nation's history. A total 25,000 Australians have served in Afghanistan since 2001.
