# The Afghans in diplomatic limbo > **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou. > > Cite as: "The Afghans in diplomatic limbo," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/the-afghans-in-diplomatic-limbo/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia. *John Kiriakou's two-sided answer on the Afghan evacuees still held at a base in Qatar years after the fall of Kabul: that anyone who works for an occupation government which then loses will probably end badly, and that the United States nevertheless owes a debt to people who worked for it and should not leave them hanging.* - **Who:** Afghan evacuees denied onward immigration - **Where:** A base in Qatar - **Since:** The fall of the Afghan government in 2021 - **Kiriakou's first view:** Working for a losing occupation government ends badly - **Kiriakou's second view:** The United States owes them a debt and should not leave them hanging - **His analogy:** The Roman Empire **The Afghans in diplomatic limbo** is an exchange from January 2026, prompted by a viewer asking about Afghan evacuees still stranded at a base in Qatar and denied immigration years after the fall of the American-backed government in 2021.[1] ## The scale of the problem Rall's opening observation was that a great many people are trapped in diplomatic limbo like this all over the world, and he reached for the encampments in Syria still holding people who have been there for years, some of them longer than the Afghans.[2] ## Both minds Kiriakou's answer was explicitly divided, and he said so: *"I'm really of two minds about the Afghans."*[2] On the one hand: *"I think if you're stupid enough to work for an occupation government and then that government loses that you're going to probably end up in not in a good place."*[2] On the other: *"I think the United States government should look out for the people who work look who work for them and with them and we owe them, you know, we owe them a debt."* The comparison he chose for the obligation was imperial rather than moral, *"It's like the Roman Empire. We we we we owe them something. We shouldn't leave them hanging."*[2] ## Rall's answer to the individual Rall agreed, and then addressed the person rather than the policy, prefacing it with a warning that it would sound callous. If you are a refugee or an intending refugee who has served the American government and believes you were promised resettlement, and you are stuck at Al Udeid air base, *"you're still okay. Don't worry about it."* You may have to sit there three more years, but do not lose hope.[3][4] Kiriakou's response was to accept the description without softening it: they are just sort of stuck.[4] The exchange sits directly alongside his darker account of what became of the Afghans who did reach the United States after working for American intelligence. ## See also - [The Taliban](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/taliban) - [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou) - [Ted Rall](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/ted-rall) ## Sources 1. Is Trump Bidening Out? | DeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou (2026-01-30), at 18:22. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDPkwpAs6Io&t=1102s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-01-30-deprogram-show-with-is-trump-bidening-out-deprogram-with-ted/ 2. Is Trump Bidening Out? | DeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou (2026-01-30), at 18:54. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDPkwpAs6Io&t=1134s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-01-30-deprogram-show-with-is-trump-bidening-out-deprogram-with-ted/ 3. Is Trump Bidening Out? | DeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou (2026-01-30), at 19:24. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDPkwpAs6Io&t=1164s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-01-30-deprogram-show-with-is-trump-bidening-out-deprogram-with-ted/ 4. Is Trump Bidening Out? | DeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou (2026-01-30), at 19:54. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDPkwpAs6Io&t=1194s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-01-30-deprogram-show-with-is-trump-bidening-out-deprogram-with-ted/ --- From KiriPedia, the archive of John Kiriakou's words. Web version: https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/the-afghans-in-diplomatic-limbo/ · About: https://www.kiripedia.org/about/ · Full index: https://www.kiripedia.org/llms.txt