Hundreds of Afghans who were evacuated from Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban and are now stranded in the United Arab Emirates have now begun protesting in the Gulf state over their “uncertain fate”.
Pictures and videos released to the media on Wednesday show some of Afghans marching in front of their homes in Abu Dhabi.
In the past few months, the United States has evacuated thousands of Afghans whose lives were threatened by the Taliban, along with their families, and relocated them temporarily to the United Arab Emirates.
The United States has said in a statement that “the cases and documents of these individuals will be assessed and then they will be send to the United States for permanent residency.”
But, a source close to Reuters news agency said that no flights had been flown to the United States since November last year, and that the fate of thousands of Afghans is unknown.
It is estimated that about 9,000 Afghans are currently temporarily residing in the UAE, waiting overnight to be relocated to the United States or other Western countries.
A number of protesters, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that life in the UAE is difficult, closely monitored and that they fel like they are in prison.
There have also been reports that UAE security forces have detained a number of Afghans in the wake of the protests.
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