The Afghan Taliban government demanded the United States "act responsibly" Monday as preparations accelerated to deport over 150 Afghan immigrants back to Kabul. The statement, released by the Taliban foreign ministry, marked a rare direct engagement with Washington on a sensitive human rights issue. "The Afghan side is prepared, while understanding the existing realities and taking into consideration the legitimate interests of both sides, to engage constructively and on the basis of mutual understanding in this regard," the ministry said in a statement.
This diplomatic overture arrives at a precarious moment. US President Donald Trump’s administration is moving forward with deportation plans, a move confirmed by a US official and a coalition of veterans and advocacy groups cited by Reuters on Friday. The New York Times reported that the first flight could take off as early as Monday, a timeline that leaves little room for bureaucratic delay.
The logistics are complicated by the absence of formal diplomatic recognition. Washington cannot arrange direct flights to Afghanistan, forcing the deportations to be routed through Pakistan. This creates a diplomatic headache for Islamabad, which has been locked in a bitter standoff with Kabul over cross-border militant attacks. Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring militants who stage attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Kabul has firmly denied. Using Pakistani airspace or territory for these deportations risks inflaming that existing friction.
The Taliban statement also warned against the instrumentalization of the crisis. "Third countries should not treat the citizens of another country as a matter of bargaining in exchange for limited temporary concessions or other considerations," the ministry warned, signaling that Kabul sees this as a matter of national dignity rather than a trade chip.
The immediate next step is the physical arrival of the first flight in Kabul. How the Taliban reception authorities handle the deportees will be the first real test of the "constructive engagement" the foreign ministry promised. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s foreign ministry has yet to issue a public statement on the routing of the flights, leaving the diplomatic corridor between Islamabad and Kabul on high alert.