According to figures released by the Taliban’s Commission for the Affairs of Returnees, 745 families returned to Afghanistan on Wednesday (December 24), arriving from Pakistan and Iran.
The data show that 3,295 people crossed into the country from Pakistan through the Torkham, Spin Boldak and Bahramcha border crossings, while a further 217 people returned from Iran via the Islam Qala and Silk Road crossings.
The returns come as Afghanistan faces harsh winter conditions and a worsening economic situation. Forced deportations of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries have continued in recent months.
Officials say that more than 2.5 million migrants have been returned from Iran and Pakistan so far this year alone. According to the United Nations, over the past two years more than four million Afghans have returned from the two countries.
Humanitarian agencies warn that the influx of returnees, combined with climate-related challenges and a sharp reduction in international aid, has further deepened Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.
The World Food Program says more than 17 million people across the country are facing acute food insecurity this winter, warning that both the scale and severity of hunger and malnutrition are continuing to increase.
