Steenwijk, The Netherlands – Abdul Wali shows me a special coin and certificate he received in 2023 from the Dutch government for his services in Afghanistan. To him, the items symbolise a promise the Netherlands made when about 4,500 Afghan staff – most working as interpreters, security guards and for the European Union’s police mission – and family members were evacuated from Afghanistan after the Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021. Dramatic images of Afghans scrambling to enter Kabul airport as US aircraft took off went viral, highlighting the fear many in the country felt about the new powerholders in Afghanistan.
European governments, including the Netherlands, came under heavy criticism for the chaotic evacuation process that saw thousands of vulnerable Afghans, who worked for the former administration or foreign entities, left behind. Abdul Wali arrived in the Netherlands in November 2021, after Dutch politicians and military personnel lobbied for his evacuation. He had received threats from the Taliban due to his work for a Dutch NGO, Cordaid, and helping an interpreter associated with the Netherlands military.
Five years later, he, his wife and four children were starting a new life in a quiet neighbourhood in Steenwijk, a small town in the north of the Netherlands. They made friends with their Dutch neighbours and learned the language. Their three daughters attend a local school, and Abdul Wali found work at a local factory.
Last June, the family were able to apply for Dutch passports, but then the government suddenly changed the law and threatened the new life they had begun. Thousands, like Abdul Wali, who were given refugee status, now only have a temporary residency permit, leaving them in a state of limbo. He believes the Dutch government has a responsibility for former staff members in Afghanistan due to the risks they face from Taliban reprisals.
About half a million Afghans have applied for asylum in the EU since the Taliban took power in 2021, according to the EU Agency for Asylum. Although the EU still does not recognise the new administration in Kabul, 15 European ambassadors held a meeting with a Taliban delegation in Brussels on June 23. The main topic on the agenda was reportedly the possible return of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan.
With the rise of anti-immigration sentiment and far-right parties in Europe, EU governments have been eager to show that they are willing to implement stricter refugee policies, even if it means working with the Taliban to see Afghans deported there. Germany was the first EU country to work with Taliban-appointed diplomats at Afghan missions in Berlin and Bonn. In 2024, Germany decided to lift a de facto ban on deporting Afghans back to Kabul.
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