Afghan Refugees Arrive In Wisconsin After Fleeing Taliban

FORT McCOY, WI — Refugees fleeing Afghanistan amid the Taliban takeover have arrived in Wisconsin. A group of refugees arrived at Fort McCoy, the state's only active military installation in the western part of the state between Tomah and Sparta.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said last week the state has heard it could receive hundreds of refugees fleeing Afghanistan, and as many as 2,000, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

The Department of Defense did not say how many refugees have landed, a tweet noting the confirmation shared by Spectrum News' Alyson Bruner shows.

About 1,000 U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserve personnel have been called to assist at Fort McCoy, the Department of Defense said.

"This afternoon, special immigrant visa applicants, their families and other individuals at risk arrived here," the department's statement read.

A smaller number of refugees arrived at a military base in Fort Lee, Virginia, as the Department of Defense anticipates more coming through in the days and weeks to come.