KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Iranian border guards reportedly shot and killed at least 260 Afghan migrants attempting to cross into Iran near the Iran-Pakistan border, according to a human rights group.
The incident occurred on Sunday, October 13, in the Kulgan area of Saravan, located in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province, Haalvsh, an Iran-based human rights group, reported. Around 300 Afghan refugees were allegedly ambushed by Iranian forces as they attempted to enter the country illegally.
A survivor from the group claimed that only 50 to 60 individuals survived the attack, while 10 to 12 of his friends were killed. According to initial reports, Iranian forces opened fire on the migrants, causing numerous deaths and injuries.
Haalvsh released videos purportedly showing the bodies of those killed, alleging that the refugees were not only targeted by gunfire but also by RPG attacks.
KabulNow has obtained several images showing bodies and injured individuals, mostly young people, but could not independently verify the death toll provided by Haalvsh.
The incident has drawn widespread outrage and concern both domestically and internationally. However, neither Iranian authorities nor the Taliban have issued official statements about the event.
The former Afghan attorney general has said that the “deliberate killing” of Afghan migrants by Iranian border guards is a “crime against humanity.
Mohammad Farid Hamidi, the former Attorney General of Afghanistan, said on X, that the “deliberate killings of defenseless migrants and refugees, knowing they are vulnerable and unprotected, constitutes a crime against humanity—an egregious and inhumane act.”
This tragedy underscores the ongoing dangers faced by Afghan migrants, who, fleeing widespread unemployment and economic hardship, attempt perilous crossings into Iran in search of better opportunities. In recent years, many Afghan migrants have faced violence from border security forces, resulting in multiple deadly encounters.
The situation has worsened since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, leading to a sharp decline in economic conditions. Desperate to escape poverty and instability, many Afghans continue to risk their lives in dangerous border crossings, despite the threat posed by smugglers and foreign security forces.
Iran hosts approximately 4.5 million Afghan refugees, according to the United Nations. However, recent years have seen Tehran implement strict anti-migrant policies, resulting in the deportation of over a million Afghan refugees, most of them women and children, back to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
