Afghans in – Afghanistan says Afghans who helped the U.S. can safely return from Qatar, as talks reportedly explore third-country resettlement.
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan’s foreign ministry is urging Afghans who helped the United States during its war effort and have been stranded in Qatar to return home, even as U.S. officials weigh other resettlement options.
The message is arriving amid reports that the Trump administration has discussed relocating as many as 1. 100 Afghan allies and relatives of U.S.. service members to a third country, according to discussions described by an Afghan resettlement support group.. For people waiting in limbo at Camp As-Sayliyah near Doha. the uncertainty has lasted long enough to shape daily life—where the biggest question is no longer just “Where will we go?” but “Whether we’ll be safe if we do.”
Afghanistan’s foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said in a statement Saturday that those concerned “can safely return” and that Afghanistan remains “the shared homeland of all Afghans.” He also said the government would invite people to travel through “legal and dignified channels. ” adding that Kabul does not believe there are security threats inside Afghanistan that would justify leaving for protection.
The call to return directly clashes with what many of the Afghans at Camp As-Sayliyah have been saying publicly for months.. A joint statement posted on behalf of residents by #AfghanEvac said they learned about potential relocation plans through the press rather than through direct updates from U.S.. officials.. The group described the prolonged waiting as psychologically damaging. saying many are “not well. ” with depression and mental health struggles increasing under the weight of uncertainty.
In the same statement, people in the camp argued they do not want to be sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo. They characterized it as another conflict zone, saying they have “been in enough war” and warned that taking children into another country’s fighting would be catastrophic.
Perhaps most striking is the fear of returning to Afghanistan, which the Afghan government says is safe.. #AfghanEvac’s statement says the Taliban would kill people who worked alongside the United States.. The group framed that as more than anxiety—an outcome they believe is already understood by the people and institutions responsible for their case.
The back-and-forth underscores a broader reality that has followed the 2021 U.S.. withdrawal: the people who supported America during two decades of war were never simply “relocated.” Their futures were processed through complex vetting and diplomatic channels. and once political decisions shifted. the pipeline slowed into a prolonged standstill.
That bottleneck became sharper after Trump paused the Afghan resettlement program started by a predecessor. as part of executive actions aimed at tightening immigration.. Even when individual cases meet eligibility requirements. resettlement can still be delayed by administrative reviews. shifting policy priorities. and international negotiation—leaving families to wait for answers they can’t control.
This situation also raises practical questions for policymakers.. If Afghanistan can credibly assure safety. why do residents in Doha say they face reprisal threats as a direct consequence of having helped the U.S.?. And if third-country options are being discussed. what standards will determine whether a destination offers genuine security. adequate legal status. and a realistic path forward for children and families?
For Americans and U.S.-linked veterans’ families, the stakes aren’t abstract.. People who worked with U.S.. forces did so because they believed their assistance would translate into protection later.. When that protection arrives slowly—or not in the form expected—it can feel like a broken promise. even if officials say solutions are still being explored.
In Kabul. the government’s posture appears designed to close one route—return—while still leaving space for movement through “legal and dignified channels.” Yet the Doha camp residents’ statements suggest that acceptance of that offer depends on something Afghanistan’s foreign ministry cannot simply declare: whether trust can be established quickly enough to outweigh credible fear of Taliban retaliation.