For 18 months, Alia has been waiting in a transit camp in Qatar for her promised resettlement to the U.S. But now that route appears to have closed for good. Where she and hundreds of other Afghan evacuees will end up next is unknown. Going back home to Afghanistan is not an option. It is too dangerous, Alia says.
We have been betrayed. Not by the American people, but by those in government who had promised to take us to safety in America, says Alia, who worked as a lawyer in Afghanistan before the Taliban took over the country in 2021.
Alia - whose name has been changed for her safety - is among a group of more than 1,100 people evacuated from Afghanistan by the U.S. who are now stuck in limbo in Camp As-Sayliyah (CAS) in Doha. The camp – a former U.S. army base – is where thousands of Afghan evacuees have been processed for resettlement to the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome, which was launched by the Biden administration after the return of the Taliban and the chaotic U.S. withdrawal.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced it would close the camp by 31 March and that the evacuees would not be taken to the U.S., plunging hundreds like Alia into fear and uncertainty.
The evacuees' route to the U.S. has been slowly shutting down since Trump took power. Their anxiety has surged since Qatar started to be hit by Iranian attacks. CAS is roughly 12 miles from Al-Udeid U.S. air base, which has been repeatedly struck by Iran. The group has collectively sent out a message: The danger is not directed at Qatar itself, the actual targets are American bases in Qatar one of which is us... The emotional situation of children, pregnant women and the elderly is concerning. People wander about the corridors and cry.
VanDiver disputes the claim that evacuees are being returned against their will. He states: This is not based in fact. The vetting is strong. We were at war there for 20 years, and all these people that served alongside us and their families, they got vetted over and over and over again.
With their future hanging in the balance and the threat of violence looming, Afghan evacuees continue to seek viable alternatives for safety as they navigate an increasingly volatile situation in Qatar.
We have been betrayed. Not by the American people, but by those in government who had promised to take us to safety in America, says Alia, who worked as a lawyer in Afghanistan before the Taliban took over the country in 2021.
Alia - whose name has been changed for her safety - is among a group of more than 1,100 people evacuated from Afghanistan by the U.S. who are now stuck in limbo in Camp As-Sayliyah (CAS) in Doha. The camp – a former U.S. army base – is where thousands of Afghan evacuees have been processed for resettlement to the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome, which was launched by the Biden administration after the return of the Taliban and the chaotic U.S. withdrawal.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced it would close the camp by 31 March and that the evacuees would not be taken to the U.S., plunging hundreds like Alia into fear and uncertainty.
The evacuees' route to the U.S. has been slowly shutting down since Trump took power. Their anxiety has surged since Qatar started to be hit by Iranian attacks. CAS is roughly 12 miles from Al-Udeid U.S. air base, which has been repeatedly struck by Iran. The group has collectively sent out a message: The danger is not directed at Qatar itself, the actual targets are American bases in Qatar one of which is us... The emotional situation of children, pregnant women and the elderly is concerning. People wander about the corridors and cry.
VanDiver disputes the claim that evacuees are being returned against their will. He states: This is not based in fact. The vetting is strong. We were at war there for 20 years, and all these people that served alongside us and their families, they got vetted over and over and over again.
With their future hanging in the balance and the threat of violence looming, Afghan evacuees continue to seek viable alternatives for safety as they navigate an increasingly volatile situation in Qatar.
