The United States is in talks with Asian and African countries to take in the 1,100 Afghans who have been trapped in Qatar for more than a year.
The U.S. State Department has been in talks with Asian and African countries to take in the 1,100 Afghans who have been trapped at a former U.S. military base in Qatar for more than a year. They were evacuated by the Biden administration but are now unable to enter the United States due to the Donald Trump administration’s ban on Afghans entering the country. According to the Wall Street Journal, the United States wanted to clear out the former Saliya military camp but missed the March 31 deadline. U.S. officials confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that the United States is in talks with at least three countries to receive the Afghans, two in sub-Saharan Africa and one in Southeast Asia. Many of these Afghans helped the United States in the war in Afghanistan. After the United States withdraws its troops from Afghanistan in 2021, Camp Saliya has become a safe haven for Afghans who cooperate with the United States and apply to come to the United States. This became their waiting station while the United States processed final approval of their documents. The process continues into 2024, with many Afghans leaving the camps and entering the United States after receiving approval. But after Trump came to power, this process was halted. And now they have nowhere to go. The State Department said they could not bring them to the United States or return to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. In November 2025, the government suspended the entry of all Afghan nationals after a shooting in Washington, D.C., of an Afghan on humanitarian parole working with the CIA.To keep the camp open, the State Department would have to spend $10 million a month. Qatar also wants the United States to close the camp because it is not permanent. The Wall Street Journal reported that “the United States’ failed attempts to get Arab and Muslim-majority countries to occupy Afghanistan have prompted them to negotiate with countries further afield, according to a U.S. official.” State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott told the Wall Street Journal: “The real story is the Biden administration’s chaotic and poorly executed troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, which created a crisis we are still dealing with today, including many who were not properly vetted and placed on ad hoc platforms with promises that could not be kept.” The United States now provides up to $4,500 per principal applicant and approximately $1,200 per family member returning to Afghanistan.
