Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities have raised alarm over reported plans by Washington to deport dozens of Afghan immigrants to Pakistan before sending them on to their home country.
According to US media reports and an advocacy group, more than 150 Afghans in the United States could be expelled through Pakistan to Afghanistan. The group includes relatives of Afghans who supported US forces before their withdrawal in 2021.
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“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan expresses its serious concern over reports that the United States intends to deport some Afghan refugees to Pakistan who have not yet been able to obtain legal residency documents in that country,” foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said in a statement.
Advocacy organisations have cautioned that deporting former allies and their families could expose them to grave danger.
The United Nations has documented reports of extrajudicial killings, detentions and other abuses.
Last year, President Donald Trump’s administration imposed travel bans on citizens of several countries, including Afghanistan, as part of a sweeping immigration crackdown.
The administration also sought to end deportation protections for Afghans, including some who received special immigrant visas after Taliban authorities seized power in 2021.
AfghanEvac, an organisation that supports former Afghan allies, said those facing deportation include relatives of Afghans who assisted the US military before Kabul fell.
Because the United States cannot organise deportations directly to Afghanistan, Pakistan is expected to handle their expulsion to Afghanistan, anonymous US officials told The New York Times.
Germany and Turkey have directly deported Afghan nationals to Afghanistan in recent years, despite warnings from human rights groups about the dangers returnees may face.
Mr Balkhi urged “the United States of America to adopt a responsible and measured approach in this regard and to take any decisions and measures regarding the fate of Afghan citizens with clear mutual understanding, necessary coordination, and consideration of the rights and legitimate demands of the individuals concerned”.
“The Afghan side is ready to interact in this regard in a practical and mutually understanding manner,” he added.
Pakistan’s government earlier this year instructed law enforcement agencies across the country to arrest Afghan citizens without visas, continuing a repatriation campaign that has forced millions of Afghans who fled during decades of war to return.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained strained since the Taliban authorities came to power and deteriorated further after deadly border clashes last October, which resulted in the border being almost completely closed.
