Afghan Evacuees in Qatar Express Betrayal Over US Resettlement Promises

For 18 months, Alia has been waiting in a transit camp in Qatar for her promised resettlement to the US. 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. The evacuees are not safe where they are either, especially with rising tensions due to the US and Israel's conflicts with Iran.

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's name has been changed for her safety, and she is among more than 1,100 people evacuated from Afghanistan by the US who are now stuck in limbo in Camp As-Sayliyah (CAS) in Doha, where they were initially brought under Operation Allies Welcome.

The camp, previously a US army base, is where evacuees were to be processed for relocation after the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. However, their hopes of resettlement have sharply dwindled after US officials announced the camp would close by March, leaving them in a state of uncertainty.

As tensions in the region escalate, evacuees fear for their lives. CAS is only about 12 miles from the US air base that has come under Iranian attacks. The emotional strain is evident, with children and families wandering the corridors in distress.

In a heartfelt appeal to the US President, Alia stressed, This group of people are not just random refugees. They were brought here by the United States government and told they would be moving to America. Now we feel abandoned.
VanDiver, a veteran who tracks Afghan evacuations, expresses hope for a resolution, stating that trust must be built by honoring the commitments made to those who aided the US mission in Afghanistan.

The situation of Alia and her fellow evacuees highlights a dire humanitarian crisis, as they are caught in a limbo not of their choosing, longing for a safe and stable future.