Uyghurs From Afghanistan Fear Deportation to China 

As many as 2,000 ethnic Uyghurs born or living in Afghanistan have been placed in jeopardy by the Taliban takeover, with many fearing they will be deported China to join an estimated 1 million fellow Uyghurs in Xinjiang internment camps.

That estimate came from Afghan Uyghurs who spoke to VOA about their anxieties, especially as they see Taliban and Chinese officials exploring potential avenues for cooperation. Memet, a Uyghur jewelry merchant from Kabul and the father of five, told VOA he was more frightened than he'd ever been before. He said he thought the Taliban, who are in dire need of economic support, would not hesitate to exchange people like him and his family for Chinese financial aid. "I'm most fearful that the Taliban will eventually give us back to China, and China will just shoot us," said Memet, who asked that only his first name be used. He said he was born in Afghanistan, the son of exiled Uyghur parents who came to Afghanistan in 1961 from China's autonomous region of Xinjiang.