KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The bodies of 14 Afghan men who disappeared while attempting to cross illegally into Iran have been found in western Afghanistan, Taliban authorities said on Friday, bringing the death toll from the group to 19.
The victims were part of a 19-member group that went missing about two weeks ago while travelling through remote desert areas spanning Helmand and Nimroz provinces, one of the main irregular migration routes into neighboring Iran.
Abdul Mutawakel Tawhidi, spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Nimroz, said the latest bodies were recovered from the “Reg-e Lalo” area. The bodies of the remaining five members of the group had been found earlier on July 19 in the Margo Desert.
Taliban authorities said the men are believed to have died from dehydration, hunger, extreme heat and exhaustion after becoming stranded in shifting sand dunes. Summer temperatures in southwestern Afghanistan’s desert regions frequently exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104°F), making survival without water or shelter extremely difficult.
Photographs released from the recovery site showed the victims lying partially buried in sand. The images also appeared to show that, in their final hours, they had attempted to construct makeshift shelters using pieces of wood and torn clothing to shield themselves from the sun.
The deaths underscore the dangers faced by Afghans who attempt to leave the country through irregular migration routes. Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, many Afghans have sought work and safety abroad amid economic hardship, widespread unemployment and restrictions, often relying on smugglers to reach Iran before continuing toward Europe through Turkey.
The journeys have repeatedly proved deadly. Last year, dozens of Afghan migrants died from exposure while attempting to cross into Iran, while others were killed in separate incidents involving Iranian and Turkish border guards. Earlier this month, six young Afghan men were shot dead — five by an Iranian border guard and one by Turkish border guards — while trying to enter the two countries.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), about 8 million Afghans have left the country since 2020, including around 1 million who reached Europe, most via irregular routes. The agency has documented at least 5,046 Afghan migrant deaths since 2014, many occurring along border crossings following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
