Dutch authorities have confirmed that 36 of the 38 men rescued from a stranded rubber boat off the coast of Cadzand in Zeeland are Afghan nationals, while two Sudanese men have been arrested on suspicion of human smuggling.

The migrants were rescued on Saturday after their rubber boat, which had no functioning engine, was found drifting off the Dutch coast.

Following the rescue, the vessel was towed to Cadzand, where all 38 men were brought ashore. The two Sudanese nationals were subsequently arrested as part of an investigation into suspected human smuggling.

The 36 Afghan nationals are currently being held in temporary custody at the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee facility in Hoogerheide, in the Brabant-Oost region.

Authorities are working to establish their identities and determine whether they intend to seek asylum in the Netherlands.

The Marechaussee is leading the operation, with support from the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM) and the Dutch Coast Guard.

The vessel was reportedly a Zodiac-type inflatable boat, commonly used in migrant crossings. However, authorities have not disclosed where the boat originated or its intended destination.

The administration of US President Donald Trump is planning to deport Afghan migrants detained in the United States to Afghanistan through Pakistan, The Associated Press reported on Sunday citing court documents.

Court documents show that the US plans to begin deporting Afghans from Louisiana to Pakistan as early as Monday, with further transportation to Afghanistan.

Human Rights First said it had confirmed a flight scheduled to carry Afghan migrants from Louisiana to Pakistan on Tuesday. The advocacy group #AfghanEvac also condemned the plan, warning of its consequences for Afghan allies.

The plan has drawn criticism from Democratic lawmakers.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said the United States was breaking its promise to Afghans who had supported American forces during the war.

Senator Tim Kaine said: “Our Afghan allies risked everything to help the United States. Now Trump plans to send their relatives back to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Repaying their sacrifice with betrayal is shameful and will make it much harder for America to secure assistance in future conflicts.”

Thousands of Afghans who assisted the US military or are relatives of American service members remain in uncertain circumstances after the Trump administration suspended its predecessor’s Afghan resettlement programme.

Turkish national Uğur Bahadır, a suspected member of Daesh, arrived at Islamabad Airport from Turkey before travelling to Mastung in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, where he reportedly received training at a Daesh camp, sources said.

The sources say Bahadır, son of Kazim, was arrested in Pakistan in March 2025, contradicting Turkish media reports that Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) recently captured him in an intelligence operation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

According to information obtained from the sources, Bahadır joined the sixth training group at a Daesh camp in Mastung, where he used the name Abdul Rehman. After completing his training, he remained at the Muawiya training centre while awaiting further instructions.

The sources said that following the destruction of Daesh camps in Mastung in late February 2025, Bahadır moved with other group members to Orakzai district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on the instructions of the group’s leadership. He subsequently adopted the alias Abdullah.

In Orakzai, Bahadır initially stayed with a local Daesh commander identified as Hamza. After Hamza was killed in the Toorsmat area on February 20, Bahadır reportedly joined a group led by Haji Rehman, also known as Abu Nasir.

When Haji Rehman was killed during an operation in the Ghalju area on February 28, Bahadır and another Daesh member, identified as Yunus, son of Muhammad, and known as Yasser, attempted to travel to Peshawar.

The two were subsequently arrested at a local police checkpoint, according to the sources.

They said police initially suspected the men of involvement in drug trafficking before identifying their alleged links to Daesh.

The sources further alleged that the arrests were later presented as the outcome of a coordinated intelligence operation. They claimed that similar cases involving foreign Daesh members had also been portrayed as organized security operations after the individuals were detained in areas under Pakistan’s control.