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Trump administration to close Afghan evacuee camp in Qatar, sparking sharp debate
The State Department’s inspector general said an eight-month review failed to produce a definitive count of evacuees accepted under the operation.
The U.S. government has notified Congress of its plan to shut down Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar by the end of September, a facility that temporarily houses Afghan evacuees before their transfer to the United States, according to the Washington Times.
Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Relations Committee, called the move “short-sighted” and warned that closing the camp could severely undermine U.S. efforts to relocate Afghans who assisted American forces during the two-decade conflict. Meeks described the decision as a “betrayal of Afghan allies and U.S. commitments.”
Camp As Sayliyah has functioned as a temporary processing center, where evacuees undergo security screenings before entering the U.S. According to the Afghan Evacuee Oversight Committee, roughly 800 individuals remain at the camp, including prosecutors, lawyers, female special operations personnel, and family members of U.S. military staff.
Concerns over security risks linked to the Afghan evacuation process persist. Government inspectors have highlighted challenges during the 2021 evacuations, noting that thousands of evacuees arrived in the U.S. without full identification, fueling a politically charged debate.
During a Senate hearing on Wednesday, officials revealed the difficulties of vetting Afghan evacuees. Approximately 36,000 evacuees lacked formal identification, and more than 11,000 could not provide an accurate date of birth. The State Department’s inspector general said an eight-month review failed to produce a definitive count of evacuees accepted under the operation. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general reported that at least 77,000 Afghans entered the U.S. under the Priority Rescue Operations (PROL) program.
Democratic lawmakers expressed concern that shutting the camp could endanger Afghan allies. Senator Alex Padilla of California said, “Punishing all Afghan allies today for the actions of a few is completely unacceptable and shameful.” Democrats emphasized that security concerns should not result in abandoning those who supported the U.S., potentially exposing them to danger if returned to Afghanistan.
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, has stated that following a special meeting of the High Commission for Addressing the Problems of Migrants, chaired by Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the process of land distribution by the Permanent Committee for Refugee Settlement has been accelerated.
Fitrat said in a statement on Friday that so far, 3,046 plots of land have been distributed by the committee to refugees who were forcibly expelled and have recently returned to the country, across various provinces.
The distribution process continues for others as well, he added.
He stated the process of providing winter assistance to returning refugees in different provinces has also been accelerated. This aid includes food and non-food items as well as cash assistance.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia supports a united, independent and peaceful Afghanistan and believes in strengthening regional stability, security and constructive engagement.
He made the remarks during a ceremony to receive the credentials of Gul Hassan Hassan, the Ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to Moscow.
According to a statement from the Afghan Embassy in Russia, Putin referred in his speech to recent positive developments in Afghanistan and praised measures taken by the IEA to combat narcotics and ensure security.
Gul Hassan Hassan, the Ambassador of IEA to Moscow, formally presented his credentials to President Putin at an official ceremony held at the Kremlin Palace on Thursday.
Following the presentation of credentials, the two sides held a separate meeting in which Ambassador Hassan expressed appreciation for Putin’s remarks and conveyed messages from the Leader of the Islamic Emirate, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Both sides emphasized the need to expand bilateral relations and continue cooperation.
Badruddin Haqqani, the Ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to the United Arab Emirates, has met and held talks with a number of prominent Afghan elders and traders residing in the country.
According to a statement issued by the Afghan Embassy in the UAE on Friday, Afghan traders at the meeting described the Afghan Embassy as the shared home of all Afghans and said that supporting the governing system in the country is their Islamic and moral responsibility.
They also raised several commercial challenges and called on the Afghan Embassy to pay special attention to supporting the rights of Afghan workers and traders in the UAE.
Badruddin Haqqani said that serving Afghans residing in the country and defending their legitimate rights are among the embassy’s top priorities, emphasizing that comprehensive efforts will be made to create necessary facilities and address existing problems.
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