KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s “Commission for Addressing Refugee Problems” says that yesterday (Friday, April 17), 5,450 migrants were deported from Pakistan and entered Afghanistan.
The commission has also said that on the same day, 352 other migrants were deported from Iran and entered Afghanistan.
The Taliban’s “Commission for Addressing Refugee Problems” stated that these migrants returned to Afghanistan through the Torkham, Spin Boldak, Islam Qala, and Pul-e-Abrisham border crossings.
The deportation of Afghan migrants from Pakistan has increased significantly in recent weeks.
Currently, the borders between Afghanistan and Pakistan are only open for the return of migrants, and due to tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan, all other movements across the border have been suspended for about six months.
Afghanistan has experienced a sharp increase in returns since late 2023 as Pakistan and Iran have intensified enforcement against undocumented Afghan migrants. UN figures indicate that more than 5.4 million Afghans have returned or been deported from the two countries combined since October 2023, with around 2.9 million in 2025 alone.
Nearly 150,000 Afghans have returned from Pakistan and Iran so far in 2026, according to data from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), adding pressure on already limited resources inside Afghanistan.
The deportations coincide with the ongoing conflict between the Taliban and Pakistan. Islamabad closed key border crossings in late February following the outbreak of the conflict, disrupting trade and travel, before reopening them in recent days primarily to facilitate deportations. Other forms of cross-border movement remain largely restricted.
Afghan migrants in Iran have also been affected by the ongoing conflict between the country and the United States and Israel. Local reports indicate that six members of an Afghan family were killed when a strike hit their home in Tehran’s Shahr-e Rey district a week ago. An earlier strike in Varamin, southeast of the capital, also killed an Afghan migrant. Afghan communities in Iran, many of whom have lived there for years, face increasing uncertainty as tensions persist.
The rise in returns comes as Afghanistan faces a worsening humanitarian situation. UN estimates nearly 22 million people, close to half the population, require humanitarian assistance this year, while around 4 million children are suffering from acute malnutrition.
Many returnees are families who had been living in Pakistan and Iran for years or decades and now face difficulties reintegrating into communities with limited infrastructure and economic opportunities. Humanitarian organizations warn that without sustained support, returnees could face rising poverty and displacement inside Afghanistan.
Women and girls remain subject to strict restrictions on education, employment, and other basic rights, limiting household income and access to basic services for many families.
Human rights organizations and international aid agencies have repeatedly called on Pakistan and Iran to halt forced returns. They warn that returnees, particularly women, journalists, activists, and former government officials, risk security threats and possible retaliation upon re-entering Afghanistan under Taliban rule.
