Taliban Raises Concerns Over Reported US Plan to Deport Afghans Through Pakistan

Afghanistan's Taliban-led authorities have called on Washington to handle Afghan deportations responsibly following reports that the United States plans to send dozens of Afghans home through Pakistan. The Taliban Foreign Ministry issued its appeal on November 2, as advocates said a charter flight could leave the United States as early as that date.

AfghanEvac, a nongovernmental organization based in California, said preparations were underway to deport more than 150 Afghans from Louisiana. Its president, Shawn VanDiver, said the passengers included two women and that the aircraft would arrive in Islamabad. He said he did not know what arrangement Washington and Islamabad had made. The New York Times reported on October 30, citing three US officials, that the immigrants were being detained in Louisiana. The Associated Press carried similar reporting based on court documents.

The US State Department did not confirm the reported operation. In a statement to RFE/RL, a spokesperson reiterated its position that countries must be able to administer their borders and immigration systems to protect their citizens' safety, security and prosperity. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry did not answer repeated requests for comment by telephone and email.

In its November 2 statement, the Taliban Foreign Ministry called for respect for the rights and legitimate aspirations of Afghans facing removal. It also expressed willingness to hold constructive discussions with Washington that addressed both sides' concerns and circumstances. Apparently referring to Pakistan, the ministry warned other countries against using Afghan nationals' futures to secure short-term concessions or other benefits.

The United States has no formal diplomatic relationship with the Taliban and therefore cannot arrange to deport the detainees directly to Afghanistan. Under the reported plan, Pakistan would receive them and then send them onward. The proposed route comes amid a diplomatic impasse between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, whose decades-long alliance has given way to sporadic deadly border clashes since October 2025. Islamabad accuses the Taliban of sheltering the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP. Afghan Taliban authorities deny this and say Afghan territory will not be used against other countries.

Immigrant rights groups have warned that returning the detainees could endanger their lives. They say those facing deportation include relatives of people who helped US forces before the 2021 military withdrawal. US-based advocacy organization Refugees International urged a halt to the planned flight and future flights, warning of targeted persecution by the Taliban. Its director, Yael Schacher, said on November 1 that details of the Pakistan agreement remained unclear, but emphasized Pakistan's record of large-scale forced returns to Afghanistan.

Pakistan has returned approximately 2.5 million Afghans since September 2023 through a broad deportation campaign. Tens of thousands fled Afghanistan after the Taliban captured Kabul in August 2021. Thousands remain in Pakistan while waiting for resettlement elsewhere.

Some Afghans left because they feared Taliban retaliation, while others sought to escape restrictions on education, music and freedom of expression. Afghanistan frequently appears among the countries with the worst human rights records, particularly regarding women. The United Nations has repeatedly warned that barring girls from education risks producing a lost generation. UN figures presented to the Security Council in June showed that approximately 3.8 million Afghan girls aged 7 to 18 were out of school.