More Than 8,000 Afghan Refugees At Wisconsin’s Fort McCoy

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- More than 8,000 refugees from Afghanistan were being temporarily housed at Fort McCoy in western Wisconsin as of Friday and the military base has a capacity to host up to 13,000 as they are resettled across the country.

Cheryl Phillips, a spokeswoman for a task force overseeing the refugees at the base, said Friday about 8,780 Afghans were at Fort McCoy.

She says about 1,390 soldiers are supporting them and the base has the capacity to support up to 13,000 refugees.

The number of refugees there has nearly tripled in a week.