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In the days leading up to United States President Donald Trump’s promise to assist Afghan evacuees stranded in the United Arab Emirates, the Emirati government had already commenced returning these individuals to Afghanistan, as indicated by a US state department cable obtained by Reuters.
The UAE, a key security ally of the US, had agreed in 2021 to temporarily accommodate several thousand Afghans evacuated from Kabul when the Taliban overpowered the US-supported government in the final phase of the US-led withdrawal.
Over the years, approximately 17,000 Afghan evacuees were processed through the Abu Dhabi facility, Emirates Humanitarian City. However, more than 30 Afghans remain there, with uncertainty looming over their future.

News source Just the News reported that UAE officials were preparing to hand some Afghan refugees over to the Taliban.

“I will try to save them, starting right now,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on the weekend that linked to an article on the Afghans held in limbo there.

However, it may already be too late for some.

Families sent back to Afghanistan

During a 10 July meeting in Abu Dhabi with US officials, Salem al-Zaabi, a UAE special adviser to the foreign minister, informed the Americans that two families had been “successfully and safely” returned to Afghanistan earlier in July, according to the cable, which shared the meeting’s date.

Donald Trump wearing a blue suit and yellow tie.

Donald Trump, based on his Truth Social post, appeared to be out of the loop on the UAE’s plans. Source: AAP / Alex Brandon/AP

Al-Zaabi told US officials that while the UAE understood the US policy, it intended to “close this chapter for good” and would therefore return the remaining 25 Afghans by 20 July, according to the cable.

He said the Emirati government would seek assurances from the Taliban that their safety is guaranteed.

The status of the remaining individuals or the details surrounding the two families sent back to Afghanistan were not immediately clear.

Afghans in Qatar also stuck

Al-Zaabi told the US officials that the two families were returned to Afghanistan in early July “at their request, since they were tired of waiting”, the cable said.
But two sources familiar with the matter disputed that account, saying the UAE government and the Taliban’s ambassador to the UAE were making Afghan families at the Emirates Humanitarian City choose between signing a ‘voluntary’ deportation letter to Afghanistan or being arrested to be forcefully deported to the country.
The cable also said al-Zaabi asked the US to coordinate “perception management” to ensure the US and Abu Dhabi were aligned on their messaging on the topic, as the UAE did not want criticism from the NGOs, “due to the inability of the United States to resettle the population in the United States or elsewhere”.
The fate of more than 30 Afghan evacuees and how the administration handles their cases is crucial for the future of another 1,500 Afghan men, women and children who have been stuck in a similar facility in Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar.

Former US president Joe Biden’s administration, since its chaotic US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, has brought nearly 200,000 Afghans to the US.

Trump, a Republican who promised a far-reaching immigration crackdown, suspended refugee resettlement after he took office in January.
In April, the Trump administration terminated temporary deportation protections for thousands of Afghans in the US.
Democrats have urged Trump to restore temporary protected status for Afghans, saying women and children could face particular harm under the Taliban-led government.
Since seizing power, Afghanistan’s Taliban administration has rolled back hard-fought rights won by Afghan women and girls during two decades of rule by US-backed governments.

They have imposed limits on schooling, work and general independence in daily life.
Refugees include family members of Afghan-American US military personnel, children cleared to reunite with their parents, relatives of Afghans already admitted and tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the US government during the 20-year war.
Shawn VanDiver, president of the #AfghanEvac advocacy group, urged Trump to follow up on his post with action.
“President Trump has the authority to do the right thing. He should instruct DHS [Department of Homeland Security] and the Department of State to expedite processing, push for third-country partnerships, and ensure that we never again leave our wartime allies behind.”
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