Days before U.S.
President Donald Trump promised to rescue Afghan evacuees stranded in the United Arab Emirates, Emirati authorities had actually already started repatriating a few of them to Afghanistan and informed U.S.
officials of their strategies, according to a personal U.S.
State Department cable seen by Reuters.The internal cable, dated July 10, details a meeting in between U.S.
authorities and Salem al-Zaabi, a senior consultant to the UAE foreign ministry, during which Emirati authorities verified the return of 2 Afghan households and disclosed plans to deport the remaining 25 evacuees still housed at the Emirates Humanitarian City facility in Abu Dhabi.The UAE agreed in 2021 to temporarily host thousands of Afghans leaving Kabul after the Islamic Emirate’& rsquo; s takeover throughout the last phase of the U.S.
military withdrawal.
While more than 17,000 evacuees were ultimately resettled through the UAE facility, a group of about 30 individuals remain stranded.On Sunday, Trump published a message on his Truth Social platform, connecting to a report on the stranded Afghans and stating: “& ldquo; I will attempt to save them, starting right now.” & rdquo; But according to the State Department cable television, the process of deportation was already underway —-- and the UAE had notified Washington of its intent to “& ldquo; close this chapter for great.”& rdquo; In the July 10 conference, al-Zaabi told U.S.
authorities that two households had currently been “& ldquo; successfully and safely” & rdquo; returned to Afghanistan in early July.
He added that the staying 25 individuals would be deported by Sunday, July 20, and that the UAE would look for safety guarantees from the Islamic Emirate.While Emirati officials declared the preliminary returns were voluntary, 2 sources knowledgeable about the matter challenged that account, telling Reuters that Afghan households were being pressured to sign “& ldquo; voluntary & rdquo; deportation documents or face arrest and required removal.The State Department, White House, and UAE government did not respond to requests for comment.The fate of the remaining Afghans in the UAE brings broader ramifications, especially for more than 1,500 Afghan men, females, and children who stay in Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar under comparable circumstances.The post Trump swears to help Afghan evacuees, however cable television reveals UAE already deporting first appeared on TINS News|Afghanistan News.