Taliban Voices 'Serious Concern' Over US Plan to Deport Afghans via Pakistan

Afghanistan's Taliban authorities on Monday voiced serious concern over reported plans by Washington to deport scores of Afghan immigrants to Pakistan with the aim of their eventual return to their home country.

More than 150 Afghan nationals in the United States would be deported via Pakistan to Afghanistan, according to US media reports and an advocacy group. They include relatives of those who assisted US forces before their 2021 withdrawal.

"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan expresses its serious concern over reports that the United States intends to deport some Afghan refugees to Pakistan who have not yet been able to obtain legal residency documents in that country," foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi said in a statement.

Advocacy groups have warned that the removal of former allies and their families could endanger their lives.

After regaining power, Taliban authorities announced a general amnesty for Afghans who worked with Western-backed forces and governments. They have repeated promises this year that their former foes could safely return home.

However, the United Nations has recorded reports of extrajudicial killings, detentions and abuses.

President Donald Trump's administration last year issued travel bans for a number of countries, including Afghanistan, as part of a broad immigration crackdown. His administration also sought to end deportation protections for Afghans, some of whom were granted special immigrant visas following the 2021 takeover by the Taliban.

Among those expected to be deported are relatives of Afghans who assisted the US military in the country prior to the fall of Kabul, according to AfghanEvac, a group seeking to help former Afghan allies.

While the United States cannot arrange deportations directly to Afghanistan, anonymous US officials told The New York Times that Pakistan will oversee their expulsion to Afghanistan.

In recent years, Germany and Turkey have deported Afghan nationals directly to Afghanistan, despite concerns from human rights groups over the risks facing returnees.

Balkhi said Taliban authorities urged the United States to adopt a responsible and measured approach and to take any decisions regarding the fate of Afghan citizens with clear mutual understanding, necessary coordination, and consideration of the rights and legitimate demands of the individuals concerned. "The Afghan side is ready to interact in this regard in a practical and mutually understanding manner," he added.

Pakistan's government earlier this year ordered law enforcement nationwide to arrest Afghan citizens without visas, as part of a years-long repatriation policy that has pushed back millions of Afghans who fled throughout decades of war.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been fraught since the Taliban authorities took power, and worsened after deadly border clashes last October that led to a near-total closure of the border.