A senior U.S. diplomat apologized to thousands of Afghans stranded in the United Arab Emirates months after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, promising to speed repatriation for some to America, though authorities still do not know who some of them are.
Months after fleeing their homes from Taliban rule, some Afghan refugees tell ABC News they still face hurdles as they try to resettle in the U.S.ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- A senior U.S. diplomat apologized Friday to thousands of Afghans stranded in the United Arab Emirates months after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, promising to speed repatriation for some to America while acknowledging that authorities still do not know who some of them are.
“I told them that I was really sorry it was taking so long and I was as frustrated as they were, frankly,” the senior U.S. official said. “But I also asked for their understanding of how hard we've been working to get the systems going.” Around 12,000 Afghans remain stuck in Abu Dhabi, with some 10,000 at Emirates Humanitarian City and another 2,000 at Tasameem Workers City in the capital, Mohibi said. They represent a cross-section of those who fled the Taliban's lightning advance in August, including journalists, judges, prosecutors, LGBT rights activists and religious and ethnic minorities, he said.
“Zero” Units — or “Counterterrorism Pursuit Teams” as the Americans called them — had been organized and run by the CIA in the long war against the Taliban. They conducted what Human Rights Watch described as “abusive” nighttime raids that involved extrajudicial killings and airstrikes that sowed anger in Afghanistan.
The official declined to discuss any possible communications with the CIA. The CIA did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. The official also stressed the UAE controls the two sites in Abu Dhabi and that a full survey of those here still has not been finished. The official also said that private flights approved by the White House in the months after the withdrawal also added more people to the Abu Dhabi facilities.
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