KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Two young men from Afghanistan’s central Daykundi province have died in separate incidents while attempting to reach Iran via dangerous irregular migration routes, local sources said on Friday.
The victims, identified as Aynuddin Bayani and Ali Ebrahimi, both residents of Kiti district in Daykundi, lost their lives within the past ten days during their journeys, according to the sources.
Bayani was killed in a road traffic accident in Iran’s southern Shiraz province, the sources said. Ebrahimi died in a separate incident during a clash at a hotel near the Iran–Afghanistan border in Nimroz province in Afghanistan. He had reportedly been attempting to mediate between disputing parties when he was stabbed and killed at the scene.
Sources said both men were residents of the “Kisu” area in Kiti district and had left home seeking labour opportunities in Iran through irregular routes due to poverty and unemployment in their home country.
Iran suspended regular visa issuance to Afghan citizens more than a year ago and now only grants work visas to individuals who hold formal invitation letters from Iranian employers. Such documentation is reportedly difficult to obtain for many applicants, leaving them with little choice but to rely on costly and risky smuggling networks.
Irregular crossings between Afghanistan and Iran have long been perilous. Afghan migrants have previously died from road accidents, clashes with security forces or smugglers, and exposure to extreme weather conditions along the border regions.
The latest deaths come amid ongoing deportations of Afghan migrants from Iran. Iranian authorities are reportedly sending back hundreds of undocumented Afghans each day. Many of those returning face severe economic hardship in Afghanistan, where job opportunities remain scarce and living conditions challenging for large segments of the population.
