KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees has reported that Turkey deported 325 Afghan citizens.
In a statement released on November 10, the ministry said that the deportees—both documented and undocumented—were recently flown back to Afghanistan.
Taliban officials greeted them upon arrival at Kabul Airport, providing legal assistance and €150 in financial aid per person, facilitated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
This recent deportations from Turkey coincides with large-scale expulsions from Pakistan and Iran, where an estimated 400,000 Afghan refugees have been sent back over the past month alone.
The deportation of Afghan refugees from Turkey, as well as neighboring Iran and Pakistan, is heightening concerns about a worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The country is struggling to accommodate the influx of returnees, many of whom are forced to live in temporary camps near the borders just as winter approaches. Last year alone, Turkey deported approximately 50,000 Afghans.
Since the Taliban’s return to power, the exodus of Afghan citizens has accelerated, with Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey emerging as the primary destinations. Turkey, in particular, serves as a major transit point for Afghans attempting to reach Europe. Hosting one of the world’s largest refugee populations—including over 3.6 million Syrians and around 300,000 refugees from other nationalities, predominantly Afghans.
A 2022 report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) found that Turkey frequently pushes back undocumented Afghan refugees into Iran or deports them directly to Afghanistan, often ignoring their appeals for international protection. Afghan refugees interviewed by HRW recounted that Turkish authorities have detained large numbers of undocumented individuals, pressuring or misleading them into signing voluntary repatriation forms before deporting them.
