Following the Trump administration's comprehensive embargo on foreign aid programs, more than 80 Afghan women who left the Taliban to seek higher education in Oman fear immediate deportation back to Afghanistan. The Agency has funded for the international development (USAID). Their scholarships were terminated abruptly after the US was ordered to freeze funding when President Donald Trump returned to office. According to the information, due to fear of reprisals, a student has anonymously said "We've been told to be sent back within two weeks. "It was heart-breaking. This was told by a student who was pursuing their higher education in the Taliban. Since regaining power nearly four years ago, the Taliban has imposed draconian restrictions on women, including banning them from universities.
Despite court challenges to the Trump administration's aid freeze, hundreds of humanitarian initiatives worldwide have been canceled or in peril as the White House looks to reduce government spending by billions. The students in Oman claim that preparations are already underway to return them to Afghanistan, and they have urged the international community to "intervene urgently". Emails were issued to the 82 students advising them that their scholarships had been "discontinued" as a result of the program's termination and USAID funding. The emails, which concede that the news will be "profoundly disappointing and unsettling," discuss travel arrangements back to Afghanistan, which alarmed the kids. Before Afghanistan was taken over by the Taliban in 2021, these women, who were primarily in their 20s, were eligible for scholarships.
Many students maintained their studies in Afghan universities until December 2022, when the Taliban prohibited women from pursuing higher education. After 18 months in limbo, they claimed to have fled to Pakistan in September last year.USAID then secured them visas to Oman, where they arrived in October and November 2024."If we are sent back, we will face serious consequences." a student stated. "It would mean losing all of our dreams," another student stated. "We won't be able to study, and our family may push us to marry. Many of us may potentially face personal risks as a result of our previous connections and involvement."
