KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban authorities report a sharp rise in the number of Afghan migrants returning from Iran, with around 10,000 individuals crossing into Afghanistan each day through the Islam Qala border crossing in Herat province.
Hazrat Agha Zaeem, head of the Taliban commission for refugee affairs in Herat, said the surge follows a deadline set by the Iranian government for undocumented Afghans to leave the country. He also linked the increase to the recent conflict between Iran and Israel.
“Every day, around 10,000 people, including women and children, are crossing back into Afghanistan through Islam Qala alone,” Zaeem said.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Sadiq Motamedian, the governor of Tehran, has said that efforts to identify, arrest, and deport undocumented foreign nationals have intensified in recent days. He noted that the number of detainees has tripled compared to previous months.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has also reported a significant rise in returns. In May alone, more than 15,000 Afghan families crossed back from Iran, according to the agency.
Iran has given all undocumented Afghans until July 6 to leave the country or face deportation. The IOM estimates that up to four million Afghans could be affected. Many of these individuals fled to Iran after the Taliban returned to power in 2021, fearing retaliation and persecution.
Meanwhile, a similar deportation campaign is underway in neighbouring Pakistan. Since October 2023, at least 1.3 million Afghans have been forced to leave the country under Islamabad’s expulsion plan.
UN agencies, human rights groups, and Afghan activists have repeatedly called on both Iran and Pakistan to halt mass deportations. They warn that Afghanistan remains unsafe for return, citing ongoing human rights abuses and a worsening humanitarian crisis under Taliban rule.
