Qatar Urges US to Relocate Afghan Refugees From Doha Camp by 2026

DID Press: Qatar has asked the US to relocate Afghan refugees currently housed at the Al-Sayliyah camp near Doha by September 29, 2026.

According to diplomatic documents from the U.S. State Department, Qatari officials stressed that the hosting arrangement for Afghan refugees was intended to be temporary and could not continue indefinitely.

The documents state that Doha and Washington agreed to extend the hosting arrangement until 2026, but Qatar requested that the United States clarify the legal status of all individuals residing in the camp and refrain from transferring additional Afghan refugees to the country.

The refugees were evacuated from Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 and are currently awaiting relocation to the United States or other countries.

Reports indicate that more than 1,100 Afghan refugees are currently living at the Al-Sailiya facility, which served as one of the main transit and processing centers during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

The initial agreement between Qatar and the United States was signed in 2023 and extended in 2024. Under the terms of the arrangement, responsibility for relocating and determining the future status of the refugees after the deadline remains with Washington.