Afghan refugees in UAE demand to be sent to US

Hundreds of Afghans evacuated to the United Arab Emirates last year have launched a protest to demand they be sent to the United States.

After the U.S. withdrew from the country and the Taliban took over Kabul, thousands of Afghans were sent to the UAE on behalf of the U.S., some of whom remain there and are protesting the move, now saying they should be sent to the U.S., according to Reuters.

At the time of the chaos, the UAE agreed to provide housing until the refugees could continue on to another country, but many Afghans remain in the strict facilities, Reuters reported. 

“People are being held captive here,” one protester told Reuters, adding that the conditions at the facility were like that of a prison. Other protesters reportedly threatened a hunger strike to push for action.

Ahmad Mohibi, a former U.S. counter-terrorism adviser in Afghanistan who has sought to help Afghans attempting to leave the country, said that no flights of evacuees from the UAE to the U.S. have left since late November, the news service added.

In September, the UAE said 9,000 Afghan nationals were evacuated though it is unclear how many remain in the facilities today, Reuters also noted.

For Afghan refugees within the U.S., the government has attempted to resettle people through Operation Allies Welcome. 

Last month, the last group of Afghan refugees left military bases in Indiana and New Mexico. At that time, the Department of Defense was still housing 9,000 other refugees at three more military bases including Fort McCoy, Wis., Fort Pickett, Va., and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey.