KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – More than 1,790 Afghan families were deported or voluntarily returned from Iran and Pakistan over the past two days, according to the Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency.
According to the agency, 841 families entered Afghanistan on Thursday, May 1 — 526 from Pakistan and 315 from Iran.
The day before, on Wednesday, around 955 families returned from both countries, including 4,683 people who were forcibly deported.
Upon arrival, the families were provided with basic assistance, the agency added.
Both Iran and Pakistan, which have hosted millions of Afghan refugees for years, have increased deportations in recent months. Thousands of Afghans are being sent back daily to a country grappling with a deepening humanitarian crisis and limited freedoms under Taliban rule.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that over 140,000 Afghan refugees were repatriated from Pakistan in April alone. Since September 2023, over 2.4 million Afghan refugees have been returned or deported from both countries.
The UN and human rights organizations have called for an immediate halt to the deportations, citing the worsening crisis in Afghanistan. They also warned that many returnees, particularly activists and former government employees, face the risk of Taliban retaliation.
