Taliban voice concern over US plan to deport Afghans via Pakistan

Afghanistan's Taliban authorities said on Monday, 2 November, that they are seriously concerned about reported US plans to deport scores of Afghan immigrants to Pakistan, from where they would ultimately be returned to Afghanistan. According to US media reports and an advocacy group, more than 150 Afghan nationals currently in the United States are affected. They include relatives of Afghans who assisted US forces before the American withdrawal in 2021.

The Taliban's position

Foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi said in a statement that the authorities are worried about reports that Washington intends to expel Afghan refugees to Pakistan who have not yet obtained legal residency documents there. He urged the United States to take a responsible, measured approach and to decide on the fate of Afghan citizens through clear mutual understanding and coordination, with regard for the rights of those involved. Balkhi added that the Afghan side is ready to engage in a practical way.

Risks for returnees

Advocacy groups have cautioned that removing former allies and their families could endanger their lives. After retaking power, the Taliban announced a general amnesty for Afghans who worked with Western-backed forces and governments, and this year repeated assurances that former opponents could return safely. The United Nations has nonetheless recorded reports of extrajudicial killings, detentions and abuses.

AfghanEvac, a group that helps former Afghan allies, says those expected to be deported include relatives of Afghans who assisted the US military before Kabul fell. Because the US cannot arrange deportations directly to Afghanistan, anonymous US officials told The New York Times that Pakistan will oversee the expulsions.

Background

President Donald Trump's administration issued travel bans last year on several countries, including Afghanistan, as part of a broad immigration crackdown, and sought to end deportation protections for Afghans. Some of them had received special immigrant visas after the Taliban takeover in 2021. In recent years Germany and Turkey have deported Afghans directly to Afghanistan.

Earlier this year Pakistan's government ordered law enforcement nationwide to arrest Afghans without visas, continuing a years-long repatriation policy. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained since the Taliban took power, and worsened after deadly border clashes last October that led to the near-total closure of the border.