KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The chaotic wave of Afghan migrants returning from Iran and Pakistan is straining Afghanistan’s fragile capacity under Taliban rule and threatening broader regional stability, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warned Friday.
In a statement, UNHCR said more than 1.6 million Afghans have returned from the two neighboring countries so far this year, already exceeding projections for the entire year.
The agency said the speed and scale of these returns are putting intense pressure on Afghanistan’s border provinces, deepening poverty, insecurity, and humanitarian needs in a country already struggling with economic collapse and human rights abuses.
Arafat Jamal, UNHCR’s representative in Afghanistan, pointed out that many returnees, particularly women and children, are coming back to a country they hardly know.
“They are from Afghanistan, but not of Afghanistan,” he said, adding that many were born abroad with different cultural norms and better education. “Their outlook often clashes with present-day Afghanistan.”
Women and girls, in particular, face a jarring shift from relative freedom abroad to Taliban-imposed restrictions at home, Jamal added.
According to UNHCR, aid agencies are providing food, water, health services, and transportation; however, these efforts are under strain due to funding shortages. As of July, UNHCR’s response plan is only 28% funded, while the UN’s wider $2.4 billion appeal for Afghanistan in 2025 has received just 22% of the necessary funds.
“We are living on borrowed funds,” Jamal said. “Every day, we ask ourselves — should we give one blanket instead of four? One meal instead of three? These are heartbreaking decisions.”
The agency has called for increased international support, warning that without urgent aid and planning, Afghanistan’s fragile systems may not be able to cope.
In recent weeks, neighboring countries, particularly Iran, have increased the deportation of Afghans, forcing thousands of people to return each day to Taliban-controlled and impoverished Afghanistan.
According to Taliban figures, more than 5,300 Afghan families returned from Iran and Pakistan on Friday, with the vast majority crossing back from Iran.
