KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Around 1,500 Afghan refugees were deported from Pakistan and Iran and returned to Afghanistan on Monday, according to Taliban authorities, as both countries press ahead with large-scale expulsions of Afghans.
The Taliban’s commission for refugee affairs said 1,398 individuals returned from Pakistan, mostly through the Torkham border crossing, while 102 came from Iran.
According to the commission, over 1,800 Afghan refugees were deported and returned to Afghanistan a day earlier, and more than 2,400 on Saturday.
In recent months, Afghanistan has seen a sharp increase in returns from its neighbors, particularly Pakistan, which has stepped up enforcement against undocumented Afghan refugees. UN data shows that over four million Afghans have either been deported or voluntarily returned from Pakistan and Iran over the past two years, including more than 2.6 million in 2025.
The mass returns are taking place as economic, humanitarian, and human rights conditions in Afghanistan continue to deteriorate, prompting concern among humanitarian agencies and rights groups about the safety and welfare of returning refugees. Many returnees face serious challenges, including limited access to shelter, food, healthcare, and basic services, while women and girls encounter significant restrictions on their fundamental rights.
UN agencies, human rights organizations, and Afghan activists have repeatedly urged Pakistan and Iran to halt deportations. Earlier this month, Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard wrote an open letter to Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, expressing concern over the ongoing detention, harassment, and forced returns of Afghans, particularly vulnerable groups.
Amnesty warned that such forced returns breach the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits sending individuals to places where they face serious threats to life or freedom.
