KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban authorities report that nearly 3,500 Afghan refugees were either deported or voluntarily returned from Iran and Pakistan in the past two days.
In a statement on Saturday, July 27, the Taliban Ministry of Refugee and Repatriation (MoRR) announced that 3,075 Afghan nationals entered the country from Iran and 404 from Pakistan via various crossing points.
“208 Afghan nationals entered via the Torkham crossing point, and 196 through Spin Boldak from Pakistan. Meanwhile, 2,385 Afghans entered the country through the Islam Qala crossing point in Herat, and 690 returned through the Silk Bridge in Nimroz, which borders Iran” the Taliban statement detailed.
The ministry also said that after going through a registration process, these people were referred to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to receive assistance.
For decades, Afghanistan’s western and southern neighbors, Iran and Pakistan, have hosted millions of Afghan refugees fleeing conflict, political instability, and economic hardship in their homeland.
Following the US and NATO military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, which led to the return to power of the Taliban, hundreds of thousands more fled the country, mainly to Iran and Pakistan, fearing Taliban retaliation.
According to the UN report, both countries currently host around 7.7 million Afghan refugees, with 4.5 million in Iran and 3.2 million in Pakistan.
The enforcement of anti-migrant policies and ongoing crackdowns on undocumented Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan have led to the deportation of over a million Afghan refugees, primarily women and children, back to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
Pakistani authorities claim that undocumented refugees are a major source of insecurity and illegal activities in their country. They justify the crackdown as a counter-terrorism measure, pointing to the recent surge in security incidents in the country.
According to the UN, Pakistan has deported over 600,000 Afghan nationals since initiating a deportation scheme in October 2023.
