With thousands of Afghans fleeing the country following the Taliban takeover, home rental service Airbnb said on Tuesday that it has decided to offer free housing to 20,000 Afghan refugees globally.
This was announced by co-founder Brian Chesky in a series of tweets. "If you are willing to host a refugee family, reach out and I will connect you with the right people here to make it happen," he said.
"The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the US and elsewhere is one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time. We feel a responsibility to step up. I hope this inspires other business leaders to do the same. There's no time to waste."
Airbnb is working closely with NGOs and partner organisations on the ground to support the Afghan refugees.
On August 15, the Taliban insurgents swept Kabul after the US-backed Afghan government collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, bringing an end to a two-decade campaign in which the US and its allies had tried to transform the war-ravaged nation.
The world has been transfixed at the tragic scenes unfolding at the Kabul airport ever since the Taliban seized control of the capital city. Afghans in large numbers poured onto the tarmac with some clinging to a US military transport airplane as it took off, later plunging to their deaths.
The Taliban has blamed the chaotic evacuation on the US military and stated that there is no need for any Afghan to flee.