KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban-run media outlets have reported that dozens of Afghan migrant families returned to the country yesterday.
According to the Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency, on Saturday, March 14, a total of 62 families re-entered Afghanistan through several border crossings. Seven families arrived through the Pol-e-Abrisham crossing in Nimruz province, 32 families returned via the Islam Qala crossing in Herat, and another 23 families crossed through Spin Boldak in Kandahar.
The United Nations has stated that only about 11 percent of Afghan returnees are currently employed.
Reports also indicate that more than 70 families had returned to Afghanistan two days earlier.
The United Nations estimates that around 2.8 million Afghan migrants returned from Iran and Pakistan in 2025.
Arafat Jamal, the representative of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Afghanistan, said during a press conference in February that since October 2023 approximately 5.4 million people have returned to Afghanistan, the majority coming from Pakistan and Iran.
International humanitarian organizations warn that large-scale deportations are putting additional strain on Afghanistan, where years of conflict, economic collapse, and international isolation have left millions in need of humanitarian assistance.
Three months ago, Amnesty International called on countries to immediately halt the forced return of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers to Afghanistan, warning that deportations are taking place despite a worsening humanitarian crisis and widespread human rights abuses under the Taliban authorities.
The organization cited United Nations figures showing that more than 2.6 million Afghans had been returned this year from countries including Iran and Pakistan, with women and children making up about 60 percent of those affected. Amnesty said deportations have also taken place from Turkey and Tajikistan.
Amnesty warned that the returns are happening while the Taliban continue to impose severe restrictions on basic rights—especially for women and girls—and as Afghanistan faces multiple humanitarian emergencies and the impacts of recent natural disasters. The group stressed that countries must respect the international principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to places where they face serious human rights risks.
