The Kabul Tribune (KT) — The Straits Times reported that the U.S. State Department has begun offering payments to Afghans stranded in Qatar to encourage them to return home, as Washington moves to close a camp where they have been held for years.
According to the report, the top U.S. State Department
official for South and Central Asia told lawmakers on Feb. 11 that the
initiative is part of efforts to shut down Camp As Sayliyah (CAS), a former
U.S. Army base in Qatar. More than 1,100 Afghans have been housed at the
facility since at least early 2025, when President Donald Trump’s
administration halted resettlement programs for Afghans fearing retaliation
from the Taliban over their past ties to the U.S. military.
Advocacy groups say those stranded include civilian
refugees, women who served as special operators for U.S. forces during the
20-year war in Afghanistan, and family members of U.S. service members. They
warn that many could face serious risks if returned to Afghanistan.
Democratic lawmakers have criticized the plan to offer
payments to those who agree to what officials describe as voluntary
repatriation ahead of the camp’s planned closure at the end of March. Rep.
Sydney Kamlager-Dove, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs
subcommittee that held the Feb. 11 hearing, described the policy as a “betrayal
of our Afghan allies.”
Assistant Secretary of State S. Paul Kapur told lawmakers
that about 150 individuals had already accepted the payments but said he did
not know what had happened to them after their return.
“We are not forcibly repatriating Afghans to Afghanistan.
Some have gone of their own volition, but we’re not forcing anybody,” Kapur
said. He added that the U.S. is negotiating with third countries to relocate
others and argued that keeping them indefinitely at the Qatar facility was not
a reasonable solution.
The State Department did not disclose details of the
payments. However, Shawn VanDiver, head of #AfghanEvac, told Reuters that the
offer includes $4,500 for a primary applicant and $1,200 for each additional
family member who agrees to return.
VanDiver questioned whether the repatriation process is
genuinely voluntary, saying Afghans at the facility have been encouraged by
staff to accept the payments, while relocation to third countries remains
uncertain, Reuters reported.
