Photo:@MoRRAfg

25 Afghans Return Home After Imprisonment in Iraq for Travel Violations

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees has announced the release of 25 Afghan citizens who had been imprisoned in Iraq due to a lack of legal travel documentation.

According to a statement issued by the ministry on Saturday, October 12, these individuals returned to Afghanistan the previous day, Friday, October 10. They had been detained for six months in various Iraqi provinces for entering the country without the necessary legal documents. After their release, they traveled back to Afghanistan via Iran.

Upon their return, the Ministry of Refugees facilitated their registration at the Nimroz border and referred them to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to receive further assistance.

This repatriation comes at a time when Afghanistan is grappling with severe economic and humanitarian crises, worsened since the Taliban regained control of the country in August 2021.

The political upheaval following their return to power has forced millions of Afghans to flee the country. According to a recent UNHCR report, 1.6 million Afghans have fled since the Taliban’s takeover.

Inside Afghanistan, the situation remains dire. The United Nations estimates that over 23 million people require lifesaving assistance, with more than 6 million children expected to face crisis-level or emergency-level hunger by 2024.

As citizens struggle to survive under the harsh rule of the Taliban, many continue to seek refuge abroad, often facing imprisonment or deportation due to a lack of legal documentation.