KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – More than 3,300 Afghan refugees returned from Iran and Pakistan in a single day on Thursday, according to Taliban authorities, as both neighboring countries continue mass deportations of Afghans.
The Taliban’s commission for refugee affairs reported that 3,273 people returned from Pakistan via Torkham and Spin Boldak crossing points, while 98 were returned from Iran through Islam Qala and Pul-e Abrisham in western Afghanistan.
The largest number of returnees came through the Torkham border, where 2,970 people were registered, the commission said.
Afghanistan has experienced a sharp increase in returns from neighboring countries in recent months, particularly from Pakistan, which has intensified enforcement measures against undocumented Afghan refugees. UN figures indicate that over four million Afghans have been deported or voluntarily returned from Pakistan and Iran over the past two years, including more than 2.6 million in 2025.
Among those deported in previous years were dozens of journalists, human rights activists, former government officials, and soldiers who initially fled Afghanistan fearing Taliban reprisals and remain at risk of mistreatment, detention, or even killings. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), at least 20 journalists were deported from Pakistan in 2025, while human rights groups report that many former soldiers were detained or killed upon their return to Afghanistan.
UN agencies, human rights organizations, and Afghan activists have repeatedly urged Pakistan and Iran to halt mass deportations. They warn that Afghanistan remains unsafe for returnees, citing ongoing human rights abuses, worsening humanitarian crisis, and limited access to food, healthcare, and shelter under Taliban rule.
