KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Nearly 3,000 Afghan families were forced to return from Pakistan and Iran in a single day, according to Taliban authorities, as both countries continue mass deportations of Afghan refugees.
The Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency reported that a total of 2,963 families entered Afghanistan on Monday, November 3. Of them, 1,004 arrived through Spin Boldak, 1,700 crossed via Torkham, and 155 entered through the Bahramcha crossing from Pakistan. Another 33 families returned from Iran through the Pul-e Abrishim crossing, and 77 more entered via Islam Qala.
The agency said the returnees received basic assistance upon arrival.
Pakistan and Iran continue to push Afghans out, sending thousands across the border each day. Islamabad has intensified its crackdown in recent weeks following deadly border clashes with the Taliban last month.
The UN agencies estimate that over four million Afghans have been deported or compelled to return from the two countries in the past two years, including 2.3 million since January 2025.
Mass deportations come as Afghanistan grapples with one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, driven largely by repeated natural disasters and a sharp decline in foreign assistance. On Monday, a powerful earthquake struck the country’s north, killing at least 20 people, injuring hundreds, and leaving thousands displaced, further worsening conditions for an already struggling population.
According to the UN, more than 23 million people — over half of Afghanistan’s population — now require humanitarian assistance, while women and girls remain largely barred from education and excluded from much of public life.
Human rights groups and aid agencies have repeatedly urged Pakistan and Iran to halt forced returns, warning that, in addition to other concerns, many returnees, particularly women, activists, journalists, and former officials, face serious threats and potential retaliation from the Taliban.
