By Humeyra Pamuk
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Days before President Donald Trump said he would help Afghan evacuees who fled their country and were stuck in the United Arab Emirates, the Emirati government had already begun returning them to Afghanistan and informed Washington that it was doing so, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters on Sunday.
The UAE, a close security partner of the United States, agreed in 2021 to temporarily house several thousand Afghans evacuated from Kabul as the Taliban ousted the U.S.-backed government during the final stages of the U.S.-led withdrawal.
Throughout the years, about 17,000 Afghan evacuees have been processed through the Abu Dhabi facility, known as Emirates Humanitarian City. However, more than 30 remaining Afghans have been stuck with their fate in limbo.
News outlet “Just the News” reported on Sunday that UAE officials were preparing to hand over some Afghan refugees to the Taliban.
“I will try to save them, starting right now,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday that linked to an article on the Afghans held in limbo there.
However, it may already be too late for some.
In a July 10 meeting with U.S. officials in Abu Dhabi, Salem al-Zaabi, UAE Special Advisor to the Foreign Minister, told the Americans that two families had been “successfully and safely” sent back to Afghanistan in early July, the cable, which had the same date as the meeting, said.
Al-Zaabi told the Americans that while the UAE understood the current policy from Washington, it was going to move to “close this chapter for good” and therefore would move to return the remaining 25 individuals by Sunday, July 20, according to the cable. He added that the Emirati government would seek assurances from the Taliban that their safety is guaranteed.
It was not immediately clear if the remaining individuals had been sent back or the circumstances of the two families returned to Afghanistan.
The cable and the return of the two Afghan families back to Afghanistan have not been previously reported.
Trump, based on his Truth Social post, appeared to be out of the loop on the UAE’s plans.
The State Department, the White House and the UAE government did not have immediate comment for this story.
AFGHANS IN QATAR ALSO STUCK
Al-Zaabi told the U.S. officials that the two families were returned to Afghanistan in early July “at their request, since they were tired of waiting,” the cable said.
But two sources familiar with the matter disputed that account saying that the UAE government and Taliban’s ambassador to the UAE were making Afghan families at the Emirates Humanitarian City choose between signing a ‘voluntary’ deportation letter to Afghanistan or being arrested to be forcefully deported to the country on Monday.
The cable also said Al-Zaabi asked the U.S. to coordinate “perception management” to ensure Washington and Abu Dhabi were aligned on their messaging on the topic as the UAE did not want criticism from the NGOs “due to the inability of the United States to resettle the population in the United States or elsewhere.”
The fate of the more than 30 Afghan evacuees and how the administration handles their cases is crucial for the future of another 1,500 Afghan men, women and children who have been stuck in a similar facility in Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar.
Former President Joe Biden’s administration, since its chaotic U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, has brought nearly 200,000 Afghans to the United States.
Trump, a Republican who promised a far-reaching immigration crackdown, suspended refugee resettlement after he took office in January. In April, the Trump administration terminated temporary deportation protections for thousands of Afghans in the U.S..
Democrats have urged Trump to restore temporary protected status for Afghans, saying women and children could face particular harm under the Taliban-led government.
Since seizing power, Afghanistan’s Taliban administration has rolled back hard-fought rights won by Afghan women and girls during two decades of rule by American-backed governments. They have imposed limits on schooling, work and general independence in daily life.
Refugees include family members of Afghan-American U.S. military personnel, children cleared to reunite with their parents, relatives of Afghans already admitted and tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the U.S. government during the 20-year war.
Advocacy group #AfghanEvac urged Trump to follow up on his post with action.
“That means working to immediately secure protections and departures for the Afghans at the Emirates Humanitarian City in UAE and Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar and ensuring they are not deported back into the hands of the Taliban,” the group said in a statement.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; editing by Diane Craft)
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