State Dept. suggests Afghan Fulbright hopefuls seek other options as program stalls

A State Department official gave an email update to semifinalists in Afghanistan for the Fulbright Program after weeks of delay following the Taliban takeover.

A group of 100 or so potential scholars in the State Department's prestigious Fulbright Foreign Student Program will have to continue waiting for a final answer on whether their cohort -- not shielded from disruption following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and withdrawal of an American presence there four months ago -- will continue.

Maryam Jami, 23, an attorney in Herat who called the program the "venue to her dreams" of earning her Masters of Law in the U.S. next year before returning to help refugees in her native Afghanistan, opened an email update expected from the State Department early Wednesday morning.

Jami says she rose from her bed to read the message on her phone, before sharing it with her three sisters, who were standing by to comfort her.

"We continue to explore options for proceeding with the Program, but we have not yet identified a safe and viable way forward," the email signed by a State Department official read. "We recognize the impact of this uncertainty about the future of the Program, and we are continuing our efforts to look for pathways forward. By January 31, 2022, we will provide further communication regarding if we are able to proceed with the selection process, including interviews."