US pays Afghans stranded in Qatar to repatriate, plan labeled 'betrayal'
Source: msn/Reuters
10h
WASHINGTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has begun paying Afghans to repatriate as it attempts to close a camp in Qatar where they have been stranded for years, the top State Department official for South and Central Asia told lawmakers on Wednesday.
More than 1,100 people have been held at the former U.S. Army base Camp As Sayliyah (CAS) since at least early last year, when Republican President Donald Trump's administration halted resettlement for Afghans who feared retribution from Taliban authorities for their links to the U.S. military.
Advocates say the group includes civilian refugees, women who served as special operators for the U.S. during its 20-year war in Afghanistan, and family members of U.S. servicemembers, all of whom would be in danger if returned to the country.
Democrats have blasted the administration's plan to offer payment to those who agree to "self-deport" ahead of the planned closure of the facility at the end of March. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee holding the hearing on Wednesday, called it a "betrayal of our Afghan allies."
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/us-pays-afghans-stranded-in-qatar-to-repatriate-plan-labeled-betrayal/ar-AA1WahsU
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