The United Arab Emirates has been accused of arbitrarily detaining at least 2,400 Afghan asylum seekers who were evacuated from Kabul following the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021.

The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) says the Afghans, who include children, are being held at a makeshift facility in Abu Dhabi.

HRW said the group was living in “cramped, miserable conditions and stranded in limbo” with no hope of being resettled.

The Afghans flown to Abu Dhabi following the Taliban takeover were housed in two converted apartment complexes known as Emirates Humanitarian City and Tasameem Workers City.

“Emirati authorities have kept thousands of Afghan asylum seekers locked up for over 15 months in cramped, miserable conditions with no hope of progress on their cases,” said HRW’s UAE researcher Joey Shea, calling for their immediate release.

One Afghan asylum seeker interviewed by HRW said: “The camp is exactly like a prison.”

HRW says the Afghans reported constraints on their freedom of movement, lack of access to fair and effective refugee status determination, lack of adequate access to legal counsel, inadequate education for children, and no psychosocial support.

The detainees also described overcrowding, decaying infrastructure and insect infestations, according to the US-based advocacy group.

Another unnamed Afghan was quoted as saying that there was a “widespread mental health crisis among residents” at the Emirates Humanitarian City.

Under international law and UN Refugee Agency guidance, asylum seekers and migrants should not be detained for administrative purposes unless it is necessary and proportional to achieve a legitimate aim, and only in the absence of viable alternatives.

HRW called on the UAE to release the detainees and provide access to fair and efficient processes for determining their status and protection needs.

“Governments should not ignore the shocking plight of these Afghans stranded in limbo in the UAE,” Mr Shea said.

“The US government in particular, which co-ordinated the 2021 evacuations and with whom many evacuees worked before the Taliban takeover, should immediately step up and intervene to provide support and protection for these asylum seekers,” he said.

More than 10,000 other Afghans who were flown to the UAE have reportedly been resettled in the US, Canada and elsewhere, while a further 70,000 were evacuated directly to the US before American troops left Kabul.

The UAE denied that conditions the Afghans were being held under were poor and that it was working with the US to finish the resettlement process.

More than 10,000 other Afghans who were flown to the UAE have reportedly been resettled in the US, Canada and elsewhere, while a further 70,000 were evacuated directly to the US before American troops left Kabul.

The US state department told wire services there was an “enduring” US commitment to resettle all eligible Afghans, including those at Emirates Humanitarian City.