Afghan refugees in Qatar’s World Cup complex fear for families

The Qatari capital, Doha, has become a major transit point for refugees fleeing the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

Qatar has staked much on hosting the 2022 World Cup, but the official accommodation has now assumed a different role from that envisaged by the organising committee – housing Afghan refugees. “In our home, we don’t have facilities” like air conditioning or flat-screen TVs, says 28-year-old Ahmad Wali Sarhadi, who arrived a few days ago and is now one of about 600 refugees housed in the complex, most of them journalists. The Qatari capital, Doha, has become a major transit point for refugees fleeing the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and who were brought out on evacuation flights.