KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Three Afghan refugees, a woman and two infants, died on Saturday after being stranded for days at the Spin Boldak border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, local sources in Kandahar told KabulNow.
The two children, aged two and three months, reportedly died of starvation, while the woman succumbed to illness after being trapped at the border for 15 days. They passed away in the Pukhta Pul district shortly after finally re-entering Afghanistan via the Spin Boldak crossing.
Pakistan closed all crossings with Afghanistan on October 11 following several days of intense clashes with Taliban forces. Since then, thousands of Afghan citizens, including refugees, have remained stranded near border points or in Pakistani detention centers, often without shelter, clean water, or adequate medical care.
The Spin Boldak border has recently reopened, and on Saturday the Torkham crossing was also opened, but only to allow Afghan refugees being deported from Pakistan to return home. Full reopening of the crossings remains uncertain, with talks between the two sides stalled amid high tensions.
Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb, the Taliban ambassador in Islamabad, said nearly 10,000 Afghans are currently held in Pakistani jails and detention centers under difficult conditions, awaiting deportation.
The deaths of the woman and children underscore the ongoing humanitarian crisis faced by Afghan refugees amid strained relations between the Taliban and Islamabad and the continuing instability at border crossings.
