A group of more than 80 Afghan women who fled the Taliban regime to study in Oman are facing imminent deportation to Afghanistan after their U.S.-funded scholarship was canceled as part of the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid. The students received an email informing them that the scholarship program had been terminated, leaving them at risk of persecution and life-threatening situations if they are forced to return to Afghanistan. The program, which was launched in 2019 with a $50 million endowment from USAID, covered the cost of the students’ education in Oman without requiring additional funding from the U.S. government.
The Afghan women are appealing for urgent help to continue their studies abroad and avoid being sent back to Afghanistan, where the Taliban has imposed strict restrictions on women’s education and freedom. Nonprofit groups are in discussions with the Omani government to try to resolve the situation and prevent these women from facing a dangerous future in Afghanistan.
Reps. Marco Rubio and Seth Moulton have criticized the elimination of the scholarship program, calling it shameful and urging the Trump administration to reverse course to protect the lives of these bright young women. The situation highlights the devastating impact of the cuts to foreign aid programs on vulnerable populations, leaving them at risk of persecution and death.
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