Fewer than 1,400 Afghan evacuees still at Qatar base, US general says

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DOHA, Sept. 4 (Reuters) – The United States has moved most of the 57,000 evacuees from Afghanistan to Qatar out of the Gulf state, of whom less than 1,400 are still at the US military base, said on Saturday an American general.

The United States evacuated around 124,000 people from Kabul last month as part of a massive US-led airlift of its citizens, Afghans and other nationals as the Taliban took control of the country.

Brigadier General Gerald Donohue told reporters that some of those deported from Qatar are now in the United States, while others are in Europe, where they are being treated.

Many of the 1,400 people still at the Al Udeid base in Qatar are expected to be airlifted on Saturday, while a small group in need of medical attention will remain until they can travel, he said. declared.

Afghan and non-Afghan nationals were airlifted to Al Udeid and at the height of the crisis there were more than 17,500 people evacuated to the base at one point, the general said.

Nine babies were born at the base during the evacuation mission, he added.

Following the rush to evacuate vulnerable Afghans, thousands of people, some undocumented or without pending US visa applications, others in families with mixed immigration status, are now waiting in “transit hubs” in third countries.

Afghans must overcome bureaucratic immigration barriers to eventually enter the United States. Read more

Written by Alexander Cornwell Editing by Mark Potter

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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