Taliban on Saturday urged Afghan nationals living in a US-run transit camp in Qatar to return home, asserting that Afghanistan is now safe and that no one faces security threats in the country.
In a statement, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, Taliban spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said Afghans abroad should feel confident about returning.
“There is currently no security threat for anyone in Afghanistan,” he said, adding that no one is forced to leave the country because of insecurity. He encouraged those seeking to travel abroad to do so through “legal and dignified” channels, and said the Taliban authorities were prepared to cooperate with other countries through consular mechanisms.
The remarks come as more than 1,100 Afghans remain in limbo at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar, many of them former US allies evacuated after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. The group includes interpreters, members of Afghan special operations forces and their families.
Recent reports that the Trump administration is considering relocating some of these evacuees to the Democratic Republic of Congo have drawn criticism from US lawmakers and senators, who warn the move could expose them to new risks.
In response to a question about the reported plan, Trump said on Thursday that he was unaware of it. “I don’t know. I have to check that,” he said.
Democratic lawmakers have said such proposals could force Afghans into what they describe as an untenable choice between returning to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan or being sent to a country facing its own humanitarian challenges.
Advocates for Afghan refugees say many of those in Qatar have already undergone vetting for resettlement in the United States and have been waiting for more than a year without clarity about their future.
In a statement released last week, some camp residents said they had learned about possible relocation plans through media reports rather than official channels. “We are not told where we are going,” the statement said. “We are not told when we are going.”
The Taliban’s assertion that Afghanistan is safe contrasts with ongoing concerns raised by rights groups about restrictions on women, former security personnel and others who may face reprisals under Taliban rule.
The situation highlights the broader uncertainty facing thousands of Afghans who supported US forces during the two-decade war and are still awaiting permanent resettlement.
