KAS: Some Afghans in Kosovo have been denied US entry

“While most Afghan travelers within the OAW group [Operation for welcoming Allies] have been allowed access to the United States through our verification process, including most Afghans in Kosovo, a small number of individuals who have not gone through the process serve as an example of the system working properly. The department, after all, praises the safety of the American people to a higher priority”, the UN official said.

This official did not want to talk about individual cases or new US entry failures, but added that as long as the verification system continues to function “there will be other individuals who will definitely not be able to move to the US”.

Speaking about what will happen to Afghans who have been denied US entry, the official The UN told Radio Free Europe that “we expect Afghans at Liya camp in Bondstheel, or will pass the vetting process that will enable you to travel to the US within the 365-day period, or move to any third state”. He also said Washington would help turn Afghans into Afghanistan if they chose something like that.

After the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August last year, the US launched efforts to oust Afghans who had worked for Washington and the Allied states, as they and their families were threatened by the return of the ruling Taliban.

Kosovo had pledged to accept up to 2,000 Afghan citizens, until they complete the legal procedures for repatriation to the US and other countries.

More than 1,300 Afghans have been sheltered in Kosovo since August 2021, when the agreement between Kosovo and the US has been signed for their housing of up to 365 days.

Afghans deployed in Kosovo reportedly have been mostly US and NATO collaborators during their presence in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021.

They were stationed in American camp Bondsteel and at one and another camp near him known as the Bechtel-Enka construction camp. Both camps are near the city of Ferizaj, and the distance between them is less than two miles [2 km].

According to the UN official, so far close to 600 Afghans have fled the US military camp, Bondsteel, located in Ferizaj.

Official The UN also said that the US would work with individuals barred from US entry to find alternatives to their housing.

This includes identifying countries that are willing to accept Afghans to move, or, when Afghans want to voluntarily return to Afghanistan, help with these situations. However, the US will not mediate the return of any Afghan nationals to Afghanistan, unless they want to return to” itself, the UN official said.

The American newspaper The Wall Street Journal reported on May 24th that at least 22 Afghans are still going through the verification process, of which 16 have reportedly their US entry applications have been rejected.

According to this newspaper, the refusal has become the discovery of some disqualify information found for Afghans sheltered in Kosovo. Although this newspaper did not reveal exactly what information it was about, it was reported that, according to previous statements by American officials, such information may include past connections with Taliban or other groups since Washington are named as terrorist groups or because of the criminal past in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, in terms of the possibility of displaceing Afghans to a third country, an American official told W SJ that “something that might be disturbing to the United States may not be for any other state”.

The agreement between Kosovo and the US on temporary shelter of Afghans has entered into force on 25 August 2021. It says “The US agrees to transfer individuals identified to another location within 365 days of individuals reaching the Republic of Kosovo”.

This agreement can be changed through a joint agreement on the” parties, it says, in which it adds that this agreement remains in force for two years or until the parties decide to abolish the same.

Authorities in Kosovo have not yet commented on whether they are in talks about the American government on the issue of Afghans sheltered in Kosovo, who have been barred from entering the US.

In March of this year, a senior US State Department official has told reporters that no Afghan, who may not pass the verification process, will remain in Kosovo.