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Flights halted for Afghans approved for special US visas
Nearly 200,000 Afghans have been resettled in the U.S. on SIVs or as refugees since the chaotic 2021 U.S. withdrawal.
President Donald Trump’s foreign aid pause has forced a suspension of flights for more than 40,000 Afghans approved for special U.S. visas, a leading advocate and a U.S. official said on Saturday.
Most of those stranded are in Afghanistan and the rest are in Pakistan, Qatar and Albania, said Shawn VanDiver, head of #AfghanEvac, the main coalition of veterans and advocacy groups working with the U.S. government to evacuate and resettle Afghans who worked for the United States during the 20-year war, Reuters reported.
The stoppage was triggered by Trump’s order to halt foreign development aid for 90 days pending a review of efficiencies and consistency with his “America First” foreign policy.
Experts and advocacy groups say the foreign aid pause has led to chaos in U.S. and international aid operations and halted nutrition, health, vaccination and other programs.
The order also triggered a suspension by the State Department of funds for groups that help Afghans with Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) to find housing, schools and jobs in the U.S.
Trump promised an immigration crackdown during his victorious 2024 reelection campaign.
VanDiver said he does not believe that the flight suspension was intentional.
“We think it was a mistake,” he said.
He said he hoped the administration would grant exemptions to the orders for Afghans approved for SIVs because they worked for the U.S. government during the war that ended in the final U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
“They fought alongside us. They bled alongside us,” said VanDiver, who added that tens of thousands of other Afghans are waiting for SIV applications to be processed, Reuters reported.
The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Nearly 200,000 Afghans have been resettled in the U.S. on SIVs or as refugees since the chaotic 2021 U.S. withdrawal.
In a separate executive order that he signed hours after his inauguration on Monday, Trump suspended all U.S. refugee resettlement programs.
That order resulted in hundreds of Afghan refugees losing their seats on flights, including family members of active-duty Afghan American military personnel, former Afghan soldiers and unaccompanied children.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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