Afghans In Pakistan Snared in US Resettlement ‘Trap’
NEED TO KNOW
Afghans In Pakistan Snared in US Resettlement ‘Trap’
AFGHANISTAN
Afghan refugee Shakoofa Khalili had worked with an American NGO on child abuse intervention programs in Afghanistan before the country fell back under Taliban control in 2021. Afterward, she and her family, like thousands of others, fled the country to prevent losing their lives for working with the enemy.
Promised resettlement in the US, these individuals went to countries around the world to wait for their American visas. As many as 15,000 of these people crossed the border into Pakistan along with about 600,000 other Afghans. Many of those who were promised US visas are now in waiting in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad and its twin city, Rawalpindi, because consular services are located there.
Nearly four years later, they are still waiting.
Now, a recent order by US President Donald Trump to suspend or possibly close the US Refugee Admissions Program and the Welcome Corps is halting efforts to resettle these refugees. It’s also leading to an effort by Pakistan to deport them.
Earlier this year, Pakistan began accelerating its 2023 plan to eject all “illegal” foreigners and created a specific plan for “Afghan nationals bound for 3rd country resettlement.” In the first phase, all Afghan nationals are to be moved out of Islamabad and Rawalpindi to foreign countries by March 31. Those not removed by that date will be sent back to Afghanistan. That includes the estimated 15,000 who are in Pakistan and have been approved for US resettlement. But their cases won’t be resumed until late April at the earliest.
That threat has forced Khalili and others into hiding, staying in safehouses in Islamabad, doing everything they can to stay out of sight of the police to avoid deportation.
“The Taliban views us as enemies, and we face the grim reality of arrest, torture, or death if we are forced back,” Kalili told CNN, recounting how her husband was caught by police but let go after the pleading of their 8-year old daughter. “This suspension (of the visa program) denies us the shelter and protection we were promised, leaving us vulnerable to unimaginable consequences and at the mercy of the Taliban.”
“For us, who worked alongside the United States, returning to Afghanistan is not just a risk, it is a death sentence.”
Over the past 40 years, millions of Afghans have taken refuge from conflict in their homeland in Pakistan, first during the Soviet invasion in the 1980s, then after the first Taliban takeover in the mid-1990s, and again after August 2021.
As a result, Pakistan has one of the largest refugee populations in the world, with an estimated 3 million Afghan refugees, with about half officially registered. For decades, the country has wanted them to leave.
For example, in 2016, Pakistan caused an international outcry when it said it would deport millions of Afghans, even those who had lived there legally for decades or had been born there.
Since 2023, it began to crack down on Afghan refugees again to increase pressure on the Taliban to curb militant attacks in Pakistan – Afghanistan supports the Pakistani Taliban. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees have already left Pakistan.
In January, it deported about 800 Afghans, including women and children, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The two international organizations said those forced to return face retribution from the Taliban – especially ethnic and religious minorities, women and girls, journalists, human rights activists, artists, and musicians.
But no Afghan deportee faces more danger than those who worked with the US military or Western civilian organizations.
“For many, (the US refugee assistance program) was the only viable path to safety,” said Shawn VanDiver, a US Navy veteran and founder of #AfghanEvac, a coalition that works to resettle Afghan refugees. “With the pause, that door has slammed shut.”
“We must act to protect those who risked everything for our shared values,” he added.
US veteran groups have been pressuring the US for more than a decade to honor their resettlement promises to those Afghans, like Mohammad, who served alongside them, saying they couldn’t have done their jobs without their Afghan counterparts. It’s estimated that at least 50,000 of those individuals are still in Afghanistan, trying to leave.
Mohammad helped guard detainees at a US air base in Afghanistan, making him a prime target for the Taliban, should they find him. He has been waiting for his US visa for years.
These days, he and his family live in a Pakistani slum, praying that the visa will come through and the police will not find them first. In the meantime, he and his family do what they can to survive, only able to eat once a day, with help from sympathetic locals.
“My situation is no good,” he told Time magazine. “We have no money for food or medicine.”
Still, he adds, he’s better off right now than his brother in Afghanistan, who was recently shot in the face. Mohammad says that he is sure the gunmen made a mistake and that the bullet was meant for him.
THE WORLD, BRIEFLY
‘Painful Not Fatal’ Say Ukrainians of US Weapons Halt
UKRAINE
The United States paused military aid to Ukraine this week, a decision that sparked outrage and anxiety in Kyiv and raised concerns over the country’s ability to resist Russian advances, the BBC reported.
On Monday, the White House announced that it was “pausing and reviewing” its military assistance to Ukraine, stating that support must contribute to a broader diplomatic resolution.
The move came three days after a contentious Oval Office meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where Trump pressured Kyiv to accept a ceasefire without security guarantees.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian officials reacted with shock, calling the suspension a “dangerous” development with immediate battlefield consequences. Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee, warned on Tuesday that “serious consequences” would become evident “in the coming days.” Ukrainian lawmakers have described the decision as a “catastrophe” and “a painful blow” to their country’s efforts to defend themselves against Russian aggression.
A senior Ukrainian official told Politico that while the pause is “not fatal,” it will result in “unnecessary deaths and lost territories.”
European allies have also expressed concern, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirming that US weapons shipments via Poland had stopped.
French officials warned that the pause strengthens Russia’s hand. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom reaffirmed its support for Ukraine, with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner emphasizing that the UK remains committed to bringing the US “back to the table.”
Ukraine has relied heavily on American aid, receiving approximately $65.9 billion in military support over the past three years, according to the Financial Times.
Military analysts said that US military hardware, while now comprising only 20 percent of Ukraine’s total supply, includes some of its most advanced and effective weaponry. They cautioned that the lack of American aid will be felt most in Ukraine’s ability to conduct precision strikes and defend against air assaults.
Ukrainian intelligence officials expressed concern the country could continue fighting with existing US supplies for only “two or three months,” FT noted.
While European nations have increased military contributions, they remain unable to fully replace US supplies, particularly in advanced weaponry and intelligence sharing.
The suspension of US support raises questions about the war’s trajectory. With Russia reportedly preparing a large-scale drone assault and Ukrainian forces stretched thin, observers cautioned that the coming months could see a shift in battlefield momentum unless alternative sources of support are secured.
China, Canada Counter US Tariffs, Mexico May Yet
WORLD
China and Canada established retaliatory tariffs against the United States on Tuesday, while Mexico threatened to do so, escalating trade tensions after Washington imposed sweeping new levies on imports from its top trading partners, NBC News reported.
On Tuesday, Washington imposed a 25 percent tariff on Canadian and Mexican goods and an additional 10 percent on Chinese imports.
These three countries account for more than 40 percent of total US imports and are also the US’ top three export markets.
The move prompted immediate reaction from Beijing and Ottawa: China responded by imposing tariffs of up to 15 percent on US agricultural products, including wheat, corn, pork, and soybeans.
Canada introduced 25 percent levies on around $78 billion worth of American goods, with phased implementation over the next 21 days.
Later on Tuesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the country would also respond with retaliatory tariffs but the details would be released later, possibly Sunday, adding, “we are going to wait” until she and President Trump have talks, most likely Thursday.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian condemned the US tariffs, calling them “bullying and hegemonic tactics.” He warned that Beijing would “fight to the end” if Washington continued its trade war. In addition to tariffs, China placed 10 US companies on its “unreliable entity” list and initiated a lawsuit against Washington at the World Trade Organization.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized the tariffs as harmful to American consumers, claiming that they violate the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), agreed by the three countries in 2019 during the first Trump administration. Doug Ford, premier of Canada’s Ontario province, also threatened to retaliate by halting electricity and nickel exports to the US.
The tariffs follow allegations by the Trump administration that the three countries have failed to curb the international trafficking of fentanyl and other illicit drugs.
However, Beijing officials countered that China has already implemented tough measures to prohibit the production and smuggling of fentanyl-related substances, adding that the source of the American opioid crisis lies in the US, the Wall Street Journal wrote.
Canadian authorities, meanwhile, questioned US accusations, insisting that Canada has virtually no role in the international trafficking of the drug.
According to US customs data, only 0.2 percent of fentanyl seized at the US border in 2024 came from Canada.
Observers warn that the tit-for-tat tariffs could disrupt supply chains, raise consumer prices, and deepen economic uncertainty as negotiations between the three nations stall.
The trade dispute has already rattled financial markets Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 650 points (-1.48 percent) and the S&P 500 falling 1.76 percent – marking its worst performance this year.
Asian markets also reacted negatively, with Japan’s Nikkei declining nearly two percent.
Ghana Resurrects Stricter Anti-LGBT Bill
GHANA
Ghanaian lawmakers recently reintroduced a controversial anti-LGBT bill that would impose stricter penalties on same-sex relationships, a move that LGBT advocates have described as “disheartening,” while some officials worry that it would impact international funding, the Associated Press reported this week.
Last week, 10 lawmakers reintroduced a draft law that was initially approved by parliament in February 2024 but never signed into law by then-President Nana Akufo-Addo.
Akufo-Addo refused to sign the bill, saying that he was waiting until the country’s supreme court ruled on a challenge filed against it. But the court rejected the challenge in December, shortly after Akufo-Addo lost that month’s presidential elections.
The new President John Dramani Mahama – who took office in January – has expressed support for passing the draft law, but indicated that he prefers a government-sponsored bill rather than one pushed by individual members of parliament.
Under existing Ghanaian law, same-sex sexual activity is punishable by up to three years in prison. The reintroduced bill will seek to extend the maximum penalty to five years and criminalize the “willful promotion, sponsorship, or support” of LGBT activities.
Since its introduction last year, the anti-LGBT bill prompted concern and criticism from human rights activists and the international community, with the United Nations calling it “profoundly disturbing.”
However, supporters counter that the bill aims to protect Ghanaian values, as well as children and victims of abuse.
Even so, Ghana’s Ministry of Finance warned last year that enacting the law could put $3.8 billion in World Bank funding at risk and disrupt a $3 billion International Monetary Fund bailout package agreed upon in 2023.
Ghana is currently recovering from its worst recession in decades.
Despite these warnings, some lawmakers downplayed fears of economic repercussions and economic sanctions, citing that “the global political climate is favorable for conservative values,” Reuters noted.
DISCOVERIES
Cloudy Jupiter
For years, scientists believed that Jupiter’s clouds were made of ammonia ice.
It turns out they may have been wrong.
Instead, a collaborative study between professional and amateur astronomers recently found that they are likely formed of ammonium hydrosulfide mixed with smog.
Steven Hill, an amateur astronomer with a Ph.D in astrophysics and co-author of the study, was able to map the abundance of ammonia and cloud-top pressure in Jupiter’s atmosphere just by using a commercially available telescope and a few specially colored filters.
His observations suggest that Jupiter’s clouds are too deeply embedded within the planet’s warm atmosphere to be composed of ammonia ice.
Lead researcher Patrick Irwin applied Hill’s study method to observations of Jupiter captured by the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument at the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile.
MUSE uses spectroscopy – a technique analyzing the light that passes through or reflects off a substance – to determine the light from Jupiter’s atmosphere, allowing scientists to detect the gases, map ammonia levels, and measure the height of the planet’s clouds.
Computer simulations of how light interacts with gases and clouds matched Hill’s findings and showed that the primary layer of Jupiter’s clouds had to be much deeper than previously thought.
The clouds are in a region where pressure and temperature are higher, meaning that pure ammonia ice can’t be present because the space is too warm for the condensation of ammonia to happen.
Previous analysis had hinted similar results but the findings were difficult to corroborate because they involved using extremely complex methods that only a few researchers worldwide could implement.
The amateurs’ method, however, led to similar findings that could be confirmed.
According to the researchers, in areas where moist, ammonia-rich air rises, the ammonia is broken down or mixed with photochemical products – chemicals created by sunlight-induced reactions – more quickly than ammonia ice can form.
The main cloud layer, therefore, may be composed of ammonium hydrosulfide mixed with photochemical, smoggy products, which are responsible for the red and brown colors seen in images of Jupiter.