WASHINGTON, July 20 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said he would help Afghan evacuees and help Afghan evacuees stuck in the UAE, the Emirati government has already begun to return them to Afghanistan, informing Washington that they are doing so according to an internal State Department cable seen on Sunday.
The UAE, a close US security partner, agreed to temporarily house thousands of Afghans from Kabul in 2021 as the Taliban expelled the US-backed government in the final stages of its US-led withdrawal.
Over the years, around 17,000 Afghan evacuees have been processed through the Abu Dhabi facility known as the Emirates Humanitarian City. But the remaining 30+ Afghans remain in their destiny.
News outlet Just the News reported on Sunday that UAE officials were preparing to hand over Afghan refugees to the Taliban.
“Starting now, I’m going to try and save them,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday that he linked to an article about Afghans that was held there.
However, it may already be too late for some.
At a meeting with US officials in Abu Dhabi on July 10, Salem Alzaabi, the special adviser to the UAE Foreign Minister, told the Americans that the two families had been sent back to Afghanistan in early July “successfully and safely.”
Alzaabi told Americans that the UAE understands current policies from Washington, but Cable said they will move to “close this chapter” to return the remaining 25 people by Sunday, July 20th. He added that the Emirati government will seek assurances from the Taliban that their safety is guaranteed.
It was not immediately clear whether the remaining individuals were sent back or whether the situation for the two families had returned to Afghanistan.
The return of two Afghan families back to Cable and Afghanistan has not been previously reported.
Trump appeared to be out of the loop of UAE’s plans based on his true social post.
The State Department, the White House and the United Arab Emirates did not immediately comment on the story.
Qatar’s Afghans are also stuck
Alzaabi told US officials that the two families were “fed up with them waiting,” in early July, Cable told U.S. officials.
But two sources familiar with the issue have challenged the account, which states that the UAE government and the Taliban ambassador have chosen to sign Afghan families in Afghanistan to sign a “voluntary” deportation to Afghanistan or sign the country on Monday to be forced to deport.
Cable also said that Alza Abhi has coordinated the US “perception management” to be tailored to the message on the topic as Washington and Abu Dhabi “doesn’t want criticism from “NGOs” because the US cannot resettle the population in the US or elsewhere.
The fate of more than 30 Afghans and how the regime handles the lawsuit is important for the futures of another 1,500 Afghan men, women and children who remain in a similar facility as Qatar’s Seyriya.
Former President Joe Biden has brought nearly 200,000 Afghans to the United States since the chaotic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.
After taking office in January, Republicans who had promised widespread immigrant crackdowns have halted refugees’ resettlement. In April, the Trump administration ended temporary deportation protections for thousands of Afghans in the United States.
Democrats have urged Trump to restore Afghans’ temporary protected status, saying women and children could face certain harm under a Taliban-led government.
The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has rewind the fierce fighting rights won by women and girls in Afghanistan during the 20-year rules of the US-backed government since seizing power. They impose restrictions on schooling, work and general independence in everyday life.
Refugees include families of Afghan-American American servicemen, children allowed to reunite with their parents, already recognized Afghan relatives and tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the US government during the 20 Years’ War.
The advocacy group #afghanevac urged Trump to follow up on his posts in action.
“It means immediately securing the protection and departure of the Afghans in the Emirates Humanitarian City of the United Arab Emirates, camping as Qatar’s sery, and ensuring that they are not deported by the Taliban’s hands,” the group said in a statement.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Editing by Diane Craft)
