A U.S. diplomat has formally apologized for thousands of stranded Afghan citizens in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after promising to grant them refugee status. The official, who has not been publicly identified for confidentiality reasons, vowed that the United States will try and expedite them for visas as quickly as possible. However, they did acknowledge some potential setbacks, such as the sheer number of those waiting to get approved. “I told them that I was really sorry it was taking so long and I was as frustrated as they were, frankly,” the official said. “But I also asked for their understanding of how hard we’ve been working to get the systems going.” (https://www.newsweek.com/us-diplomat-apologizes-12000-afghans-stranded-after-taliban-takeover-1684908) However, some people, those waiting on visas and those trying to help them, are tired of waiting after months of uncertainty.