Pentagon spokesman John Kirby says the United States is working to rectify the situation of Afghan refugees at the US airport in Qatar after video footage obtained by the media showed that they were living in very poor conditions.
Photos and videos shared with Al Jazeera show hundreds of Afghans crowded together in the unsightly hangar at Al Udeid Airport in Qatar.
Afghan refugees who sent the images to Al Jazeera said they were kept in a hot spot where several people fainted as they waited in long lines to use the toilet or to get food and water. Most had no clothes to wear and did not know what their final destination would be.
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Responding to the reports, Kirby said no one was making excuses for the conditions at the center.
"Everyone is focused on trying" to improve conditions, Kirby told Axios on Tuesday.
On Friday, a U.S. Central Command (Centcom) official launched a massive attack by internal mail received by Axios on the tragic circumstances and treatment of Afghan refugees at US-run facilities in Qatar.
‘Strong Doha Situations’
The email - titled "Dirty Conditions in Doha" - described human waste and garbage threatening to destroy the refugee settlement, as well as rat infestation. He approached officials from the Ministry of State and the Pentagon and described the "disaster that threatens human life".
"Even though they do not underestimate the conditions in Kabul or the refugee conditions of the Afghan people, the conditions in Doha are our own," he said.
Afghan refugees at U.S. military base in Qatar [Photo courtesy of Al Jazeera] He also shared quotes from contacts with U.S. embassies in Doha, including one note that reads: “A humid day today. Where the people of Afghanistan live is a living hell. Garbage, urine, garbage, spilled liquids and cleaning cover the floor. ”
Responding to the reports, Centcom spokesman William Urban said: "We recognize this as a difficult and difficult situation for these vulnerable people and families, and we are committed to providing a safe, secure and healthy environment."
A spokesman for the US State Department told Axios that they were working to reduce the crisis and had sent more staff to Qatar to "reduce the current situation".
Meanwhile, staff at the US embassy in Kabul also strongly criticized the treatment of Afghan refugees at US-run facilities in Qatar, according to the Middle East Eye website.
According to the cable sent by the embassy staff, refugees who arrived in the U.S. camp were housed in "wireless houses with very few rooms - especially women".
According to Centcom, the situation at the base has improved significantly over the past few days as more equipment and resources have been provided to Afghan refugees as they arrive.
As of Sunday, the US and its allies have announced that they have evacuated 70,000 people since August 14, many of them passing through Al Udeid. The base is home to Centcom headquarters and the US Air Force Central Command.
Qatar has helped facilitate the transportation of US citizens, embassies and Afghan people at risk through Doha as it hosts an American processing center for people from Afghanistan.
The Qatar Amiri Air Force also helped evacuate Afghan refugees, including female students, families with children, or journalists. More than 500 of them have lived in houses in Doha.