More than 80 Afghan women who have escaped from Taliban to continue higher education in Oman are now facing the immediate deportation in Afghanistan, after Trump’s administration has frozen on foreign assistance programs.
Funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), their scholarships were suddenly terminated after the freezing of financing ordered by President Donald Trump when he returned to duty in January.
“It was heartily,” one student said to the BBC, speaking anonymously for fear of repression. “Everyone was shocked and crying. We were told we would be returned within two weeks.”
Ever since he returned power almost four years ago, the Taliban has imposed draconian restrictions on women, including a ban from the University.
US help funds have enabled thousands of Afghan women to study abroad or teaching online education, but many of these programs have now been suspended.
Trump’s freezing administration faced the legal blocks of the road, but thousands of humanitarian programs around the world have been interrupted or thrown danger while the White House seeks to reduce billions of state consumption.
Students in Oman say that preparations are already underway to return them to Afghanistan and have appealed to the international community to “intervene urgently”.
The BBC saw the E -Post sent 82 students informing them that their scholarships were “abolished” due to the termination of the Programs and Financing of the USAIDs.
E -Poruke – who acknowledge the news will be “deeply disappointing and disturbing” – relate to the arrangements of the trip back to Afghanistan, which caused an alarm among students.
“We need current protection, financial assistance and ability to move to a safe country where we can continue our education,” one told the BBC.
The USAID media contact page remains out of net. BBC contacted the American State Department for comment.
Afghan women, now faced with forced return from Oman, attended graduate and postgraduate courses within the Women Scholarship (WSE), a USAID program that began in 2018.
He enabled scholarships to Afghan women to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), disciplines for banning women forbidden women.
Just over a week ago, students said their scholarships had been abolished.
“It’s like everything was taken away,” said the second BBC student. “It was the worst moment. I’m currently under extreme stress.”
These women, mostly at the age of the 20th, qualified for the 2021 scholarships before the Taliban seized Afghanistan. Many continued their studies at Afghan universities until December 2022, when the Talibani banned higher education for women.
After 18 months in Limbo, they said they fled to Pakistan last September.
USAID then facilitated their visas to Oman, where they arrived between October and November 2024.
“If he sends us back, we will face the difficult consequences. That would mean to lose all our dreams,” the student said. “We will not be able to study and our families could make us get married. Many of us could also be exposed to personal risk because of our past affiliation and activism.”
The Taliban smashed women who were protesting for education and work, and many activists were beaten, detained and threatened.
Women in Afghanistan describe themselves as “dead bodies moving around” under the brutal policies of the regime.
The Taliban Government says she was trying to solve the issue of women’s education, but also defended the dictates of her supreme leader, saying that they were “in accordance with the Islamic Sharia law.”
“Afghanistan is experiencing gender apartheid, and women are systematically excluded from basic rights, including education,” the student said.
She and her friends from Oman were able to avoid this fate, as scholarships were to finance their education by 2028.
“When we came here, our sponsors told us not to return to Afghanistan by 2028. On vacation or to visit our families because it is not safe for us. And now they tell us to go,” the student said.
Last month, the deputy of the White House’s printed secretary Anna Kelly blamed the situation for Afghan women about the withdrawal of the US army from the country under the Democrats, saying the Washington Post: “Afghan women suffer because the catastrophic withdrawal of Joe Biden enabled the Taliban to impose medieval Sharia law.”
The decision to reduce US assistance was founded under Trump’s administration and was implemented by the Elona Musk department.
And these women face a gloomy future, urgently looking for a life line before the time disappears.
Additional reporting AAcritic Thapar
