Over 80 Afghan women who escaped the Taliban to seek higher education in Oman are now at risk of imminent deportation back to Afghanistan, following a comprehensive freeze on foreign aid programs initiated by the Trump administration.
Their scholarships, funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), were abruptly halted after President Donald Trump ordered a funding freeze upon returning to office in January.
“It was devastating,” one student recounted to the BBC, choosing to remain anonymous for her safety. “Everyone was in shock and tears. We’ve been informed that we will be sent back within two weeks.”
Since taking control nearly four years ago, the Taliban has imposed harsh restrictions on women, including a ban on attending universities.
US aid funding had supported thousands of Afghan women to either study abroad or continue their education online, but many programs are now suspended.
The aid freeze from the Trump administration has encountered legal challenges, yet thousands of humanitarian initiatives globally have been terminated or are at risk as the White House attempts to slash billions in federal spending.
Students in Oman report that arrangements are already being made for their return to Afghanistan and they’ve called upon the international community to “act urgently.”
The BBC has accessed emails sent to the 82 students indicating that their scholarships have been “discontinued” due to the termination of the program and USAID funding.
These emails, which admit the news will be “profoundly disappointing and unsettling,” also mention travel arrangements back to Afghanistan, alarming the students.
“We urgently need protection, financial support, and resettlement options to a safe country where we can continue our education,” one student stated to the BBC.
The media contact page for the USAID website is currently offline. The BBC has reached out to the US State Department for comments.
The Afghan women, now facing enforced return from Oman, had been enrolled in graduate and post-graduate programs through the Women’s Scholarship Endowment (WSE), a USAID initiative that began in 2018.
This initiative offered scholarships specifically for Afghan women to pursue studies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), fields that the Taliban prohibits for women.
Just over a week ago, the students learned that their scholarships had been terminated.
“It’s as if everything has been stripped away from me,” another student expressed to the BBC. “That was the most difficult moment. I’m under tremendous stress right now.”
These women, primarily in their 20s, earned their scholarships in 2021 before the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan. Many continued their education at Afghan universities until December 2022, when the Taliban imposed a ban on higher education for women.
After 18 months of uncertainty, they fled to Pakistan last September.
USAID subsequently assisted them in obtaining visas for Oman, where they arrived between October and November 2024.
“If we are forcibly returned, we will face dire consequences. It would mean the end of our dreams,” a student lamented. “We won’t have the chance to study, and our families might pressure us to marry. Many of us could also be in personal danger due to our previous affiliations and activism.”
The Taliban has aggressively targeted women protesting for their right to education and employment, with numerous activists beaten, detained, and threatened.
Women in Afghanistan describe their existence under the regime’s oppressive policies as “dead bodies moving around.”
The Taliban government asserts it is working to address issues related to women’s education while defending its leader’s decrees as “in accordance with Islamic Sharia law.”
“Afghanistan is enduring gender apartheid, with women systematically denied fundamental rights, including education,” one student asserted.
She and her peers in Oman had managed to escape that fate, with their scholarships intended to cover their education through 2028.
“When we arrived here, our sponsors advised us against returning to Afghanistan until 2028 for vacations or family visits because it’s not safe for us. And now they are telling us to go,” a student remarked.
Recently, White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly attributed the difficulties faced by Afghan women to the US military’s withdrawal under the Democrats, commenting to the Washington Post: “Afghan women are suffering because Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal permitted the Taliban to enforce mediaeval Sharia law policies.”
The decision to cut US aid funding has been attributed to the Trump administration and has been enacted by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
These women are facing a bleak future, desperately seeking assistance before time runs out.
Additional reporting by Aakriti Thapar
