U.S. Government Preparing Charter Flight to Remove More Than 150 Detained Afghans via Pakistan, Reports Say; Advocates Warn of Taliban Retaliation Risk
The U.S. government is preparing to put a group of detained Afghan immigrants on a charter flight from Louisiana to Pakistan, from where they would be sent onward to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, according to reports by The New York Times, the Associated Press and other U.S. media between October 30 and November 2. Officials and advocacy groups said the first flight could leave as early as November 2 and that more than 150 Afghans were expected to be removed.
Among those detained, reports said, are relatives of Afghans who worked alongside U.S. forces and aid groups during America's 20-year war in Afghanistan, including family members of interpreters, guides and support staff; others fled Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in 2021. Because the United States has no formal diplomatic relations with the Taliban regime, it cannot deport people directly to Afghanistan, and the plan routes them through Pakistan — which has expelled large numbers of Afghans across its border since 2023.
Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran who leads the advocacy coalition AfghanEvac, called the plan "absolutely unconscionable" and said at least 80 Afghans had been transferred to Louisiana from 34 detention facilities across the country. Rights groups warn that Afghans who worked with the United States, and their relatives, could face Taliban retaliation if returned.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told The New York Times that Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not comment on prospective removal operations, including flight schedules, passenger manifests or destinations. Whether the flight has departed, and where its passengers ultimately end up, had not been officially confirmed as of publication. GSM will continue to follow this story.
Source: Associated Press
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：2021年8月，阿富汗平民在喀布尔哈米德·卡尔扎伊国际机场准备登机撤离。公共领域，美国军方照片，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Civilians prepare to board a plane during the evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, in August 2021. Public domain, U.S. military photo, via Wikimedia Commons.
