Hundreds of veterans and current and former U.S. officials want President-elect Donald Trump to preserve U.S. special visa and resettlement programs for Afghans at risk of retribution for working for the United States during the 20-year war against the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters.

The letter, signed by the veterans, officials and others, will be sent to Trump and congressional leaders and was organized by #AfghanEvac, the leading coalition of groups that work with the U.S. government to help Afghans start new lives in the United States.

"Many of us have worked closely with Afghan interpreters, soldiers and families who risked everything to protect and guide us," said a draft of the letter.

"To abandon them now would be a betrayal of the values we fought to defend and the trust built through years of shared struggle and sacrifice."

The letter calls on Trump and congressional leaders to continue funding the resettlement of at-risk Afghans and their families and for Congress to approve an additional 50,000 Special Immigration Visas (SIVs), Reuters reported.

The current cap of 50,500 SIVs is expected to run out late this summer or early fall.

The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Shawn VanDiver, the head of #AfghanEvac, said the letter reflected concerns that Trump will curtail the SIV and resettlement programs as part of his promised crackdown on immigration.

Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan, said Moscow plans to establish a bilateral working group with Kabul on trade and economic relations.

This format will temporarily serve as an alternative to the intergovernmental commission, he said.

Speaking to Russian media outlet Solovyov Live, Kabulov said: “Next spring, a bilateral working group on trade and economic relations will convene.

“In the current circumstances, with the regime (Islamic Emirate) not yet formally recognized politically, this group will essentially stand in for the intergovernmental commission on economic, trade, and other cooperation,” Kabulov said.

This comes after President Vladimir Putin signed a law late last month allowing for the temporary suspension of the prohibition on organizations listed as terrorist groups, including the Islamic Emirate.

As Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs and leader of the LDPR party, previously explained, these new measures aim to facilitate legal interactions between Russia and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

For generations, coppersmiths have plied their trade in northern Balkh province, but the few that are left say they are struggling to survive in Afghanistan’s battered economy.

They say the market for handmade copper products has shrunk over the years and that people no longer use their pots, pans and water jugs as they did in the past.

They have in turn appealed to the public to start using their household items instead of buying mass produced imported items.

A number of coppersmiths in Mazar-e-Sharif city say one of their biggest problems is that the market is flooded with cheap, foreign goods.

Chamber of Craftsmen in Balkh officials acknowledge the industry is shrinking but have said efforts are being made to boost the sector. They have also appealed to the public to support domestic products.