Afghans in Qatar share hopes and fears after fleeing the Taliban

Inside a muted-grey, nondescript compound in the Qatari capital of Doha, urgent efforts are under way to ensure the immediate safety of hundreds of Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban and to secure their future.

Since the Taliban overran the Afghan military and government about a week ago, the international airport in the Afghan capital of Kabul has been crowded and chaotic with people desperate to flee Afghanistan.

Many fear the Taliban’s hardline interpretation of Islamic law will come at the expense of women’s rights and freedom of expression.

Some lived through a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and they are risking everything to escape so they do not have to live through it again.

The rapid pace of events has led to Qatar taking a crucial role in two separate evacuation processes.

As part of a United States-led and managed evacuation process, Qatar is temporarily accommodating 6,000 Afghans in its Al Udeid and As Sayliyah military bases until the US can resettle them.

A second evacuation scheme is a Qatar-led process from start to finish. The majority of the refugees will likely be resettled in another country, though some may remain in Qatar.

The first step takes place in Qatar’s embassy in Kabul, which remains open and functioning. A screening process takes place before Afghans seeking to flee the country can secure permission to travel to Doha.

So far about 800 people have been processed through this plan; most are female students, families with kids, or journalists.

Lolwah Rashid Mohammed al-Khater, Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman, has personally overseen the plan from a room in the compound dubbed the “operation room” or “control centre”.

The compound has a doctor on site 24 hours a day, access to PCR tests, and daily events for kids – with an ice-cream stand that opens daily at 5pm.

“This is a process handled from A to Z; we make sure it is as safe as possible,” al-Khater told Al Jazeera.

“Currently this compound is almost at capacity; it hosts around 500-plus people. We are preparing another compound as a contingency plan, and it’s expected to house even more people.”

The brand new compound is one of several built as accommodation before Qatar hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Some of the refugees staying at the compound shared their experiences of fleeing Afghanistan and their hopes for the future.