Afghan pilots on hold after Trump halts US settlement

Afghan pilots on hold after Trump halts US settlement

Islamabad - When Tauheed Khan first flew his transport plane through the clouds over his hometown of Kabul, he felt a pride he couldn't put into words. "I flew over my parents' house," he told CNN on a quiet spring morning in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. “There was so much joy in it that I can still taste it and feel it in my heart.”

The role of Afghan pilots in the war

During the 20-year war against the Taliban, Afghan Air Force pilots played a crucial role, flying missions alongside American counterparts that inflicted heavy casualties among the radical Islamists. This coalition ended in August 2021 when foreign troops withdrew and Kabul fell into the hands of the Taliban.

Khan is now in neighboring Pakistan with his young family, terrified that something could happen to them if they return to an Afghanistan dominated by the forces he fought against. Tense anti-migration policies in both Washington and Islamabad are making it increasingly difficult to find a safe alternative, especially as a deadline approaches by the end of this month.

The destruction of Afghanistan and its consequences

The war, which began in 2001 with the US invasion following the September 11 attacks, has severely affected Afghanistan's civilian population, who are still recovering from the consequences today. The overthrow of the Taliban by the US-led coalition brought sweeping changes, including a return to democracy and significant improvements for Afghan women. But war and instability raged across large parts of the country, especially in rural areas.

Tens of thousands of people were killed. Civilian casualties rose to 5,183 dead in the first six months of 2021 as U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan and increased reliance on the Afghan military. A 2021 five-year United Nations study showed that 785 children were killed by US and AAF airstrikes during that period.

Risks for former pilots

Due to their high visibility in the local community, many pilots feared retaliation after the Taliban took over. Khan reported that during his time in the air force, “eight to 10” of his colleagues were killed in “targeted explosions and shootings” by the Taliban. Shawn Vandiver, the founder of #AfghanEvac, a leading U.S. coalition of resettlement and veterans groups, expressed concern: "These pilots risked everything for America. Their lives are now at stake because we failed to keep our promises."

One of Khan's friends, 37-year-old Khapalwaka, is also very scared. A trained aeronautical engineer, he was part of the Afghan Air Force's reconnaissance program and had to clear civilian areas before they were targeted by US drone strikes. “Soon I became a target of the local Taliban faction,” said Khapalwaka, reporting that he previously had to move “every three to four months” for security reasons.

Fear of returning to Afghanistan

Now Khapalwaka sells wood on the side of the road to support his family. Like Khan, he also speaks under a pseudonym and is worried that the Taliban could also reach him in Pakistan. "I know they have contacts here, that they could target me here if they wanted... I just want to get out of here so my daughters can have a chance at an education."

The Taliban deny that former pilots face risks if they return. “We have no problem with them,” spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told CNN. “The pilots who want to return to Afghanistan are important to the country and will be treated with respect.”

Life in the unknown

Khan sits in a small room in his modest apartment in a nondescript building in Islamabad. Bedspreads serve as temporary curtains, and just enough sunlight filters through to pale the faces of his small children sleeping huddled on the floor in threadbare blankets. The youngest child constantly jumped on Khan's lap as he spoke of the life he left behind.

In the chaotic period following the US withdrawal, Khan arrived in Pakistan in March 2022. He arrived legally and on foot after being advised to do so by a U.S. pilot who had been one of his instructors. Khan followed the steps of the US Refugee Admission Program (USRAP) and, after two years of waiting, finally attended an interview at the US Embassy in April last year to seek resettlement in the US.

The urgency of the situation

Since then, there has been “silence” for Khan. The past two months suggest that White House policies under President Donald Trump have become less predictable and more anti-migrant, casting doubt on the prospects for Afghans like Khan. The signs point to a storm for tens of thousands of Afghans who are already trapped in uncertainty due to other executive actions under Trump.

The deadline set by Pakistan for the repatriation of Afghan nationals is March 31, the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, which concludes the holy month of Ramadan. Jawad Ahmed, a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot in the Afghan Air Force, feels as if “all the days are merging into one another.”

The fear of returning

Returning to Afghanistan could be even worse, according to Ahmed. “Only death, trouble and terror await us there,” he says. His family in Afghanistan has adopted new names and identities to protect themselves and is living a life in a new province.

"No one knows where they are, no one knows that they had a son, a brother; in their new world it seems as if I never existed." He asks that his message be passed on to President Trump and the US government: "We had no options in Pakistan, what can we do, please, for God's sake, get us out of here. We have no life here; we are suffocating in fear."

An active-duty U.S. Air Force pilot, who wished to remain anonymous, offered support to former Afghan pilots they worked with: "As the country collapsed, I was inundated with calls for help. Like many other members of the armed forces, I tried to cope with the problem." While active-duty soldiers have had some success bringing families to the U.S., they remain "fearful" for their Afghan counterparts stuck in Pakistan and other countries.

Turning away from former partners sends a “chilling message to future U.S. allies — be they in Ukraine, Taiwan or elsewhere — that cooperation with the U.S. is a death sentence with the end of the war.”

As Eid approaches, Tauheed Khan and his group of 27 Afghan pilots and engineers stuck in Islamabad dream of eating meat to break their fast, access to education for their children, new clothes and a better home. “We are afraid that we will be ripped out,” says Khan. “We are under enormous pressure, we don’t know what will happen.”