The administration is negotiating to relocate Afghan interpreters and military families, including over 400 children, from Qatar to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
10:08 PM
The Trump administration is in discussions to potentially send up to 1,100 Afghans who aided U.S. forces during the war in Afghanistan to the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a non-profit organization confirmed on Tuesday.
The resettlement talks come after President Donald Trump suspended an initiative that allowed Afghans who assisted U.S. military efforts to apply to resettle in the United States. The group includes interpreters for U.S. armed forces, former members of Afghan special operations forces, and relatives of American military personnel who supported U.S. operations during the conflict that began in 2001 and lasted 20 years.
More than 400 children are among those being considered for relocation. The Afghans have been living in Qatar for over a year following evacuation by the United States, which removed them from Afghanistan for their protection because they supported American military forces during the war against the Taliban.
Shawn VanDiver, president of the humanitarian organization AfghanEvac, confirmed awareness of the plan on Tuesday. The New York Times first reported the discussions.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is currently experiencing one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises. The country faces an enormous displacement crisis following decades of conflict and instability, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
The Afghan evacuees have been in a state of uncertainty in Qatar since their removal from Afghanistan following the U.S. military withdrawal, after which the country returned to Taliban control. The two options under consideration by the Trump administration are either allowing the Afghans to return to life under Taliban rule or sending them to the Congo.
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