The Kabul Tribune (KT)— The U.S. government has extended operations at a military base in Qatar for nine months, giving more than 1,000 vetted Afghans awaiting resettlement additional time to pursue admission to the United States, according to AfghanEvac, a coalition of organizations supporting Afghan relocation and resettlement.
AfghanEvac said on X that Secretary of State Marco Rubio
signed the extension of operations at Camp As Sayliyah, where 1,039 Afghans
remain.
The organization said 72% of those at the camp are women and
children and that more than 150 are family members of U.S. service members. AfghanEvac
said all of the Afghans at the camp have been screened by the U.S. government.
The group also cited a recent report by the Department of
Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General, saying the report, like
previous reviews, found that the U.S. government's vetting process was
effective.
The extension follows pressure from members of Congress in
both parties, veterans and Afghan residents at the camp, AfghanEvac said.
The group called on the White House and Congress to include
the camp's residents in the administration's fiscal 2027 refugee admissions
determination, along with U.S. military families abroad and people seeking to
reunite with family members.
AfghanEvac said the nine-month extension provides enough
time for the government to determine the next steps for those remaining at the
camp.
"Now we cannot leave them in limbo," the
organization said, urging Congress and the White House to include the Afghans
in future refugee admissions decisions.
