Qatar has formally requested that the United States relocate Afghan refugees currently housed at the Al-Sailiya camp near Doha by the end of September 2026.
Kabul 24: According to diplomatic documents from the US State Department, Qatar has agreed to extend temporary hosting for more than 1,100 Afghan refugees until September 29, 2026, but has strongly emphasized that the arrangement is strictly temporary and that America must transfer all refugees afterward.
The documents also reveal that Qatar has asked the US not to send any additional Afghan refugees to its territory.
The extension means the hosting agreement will continue until late September 2026; however, responsibility for relocating the refugees after that deadline rests entirely with the United States.
Najiullah Wahedi, a university professor, stated: “The United States must honor all the commitments it made to its international and domestic partners.
It should fulfill its promises and transfer these individuals to safe countries as pledged.”Meanwhile, more than 100 organizations and approximately 600 former US civilian and military officials have signed an open letter to the US State Department urging the cancellation of any plan to transfer Afghan refugees from Qatar to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Shannon Dayer, head of the Afghan Evac organization, said: “We are all united in saying that we cannot allow this to happen to our Afghan allies.
We cannot send them to Congo. This coalition includes Republicans, Democrats, and people from all sectors of American society. We are telling Secretary Rubio and Secretary Mullen: never — we will not do this.”Syed Abdul Basit Ansari, a migrant rights activist, warned that such a move by the US could severely damage its international reputation and moral standing.
He noted that it would undermine the country’s claimed position of global leadership both ethically and legally.This development comes after a New York Times report revealed that the United States had offered Afghan refugees two options: return to Afghanistan or relocation to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The proposal triggered strong backlash from numerous US senators.The Afghan refugees, who were evacuated to Qatar with US assistance following the fall of the Afghan government in 2021, now find themselves in diplomatic limbo.
Qatar, acting as a temporary host, is unwilling to extend its role indefinitely, placing significant pressure on Washington to find a durable solution for these individuals — many of whom worked alongside American forces and whose lives are at risk due to that cooperation.
The fate of these refugees remains uncertain, sparking intense debate across US political and human rights circles.
Experts warn that any decision made will have profound implications for America’s international credibility and the safety of thousands of Afghans who risked everything to support US efforts in Afghanistan.
