KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local sources in Nimroz province say 19 Afghan nationals attempting to travel irregularly to Iran have gone missing in the Margho Desert, with the bodies of five people recovered so far and search efforts continuing for the remaining 14.
According to the sources, Taliban forces began searching for the missing individuals by helicopter on Saturday (July 18). So far, they have recovered the bodies of five people from among the sand dunes.
The sources said the search operation is ongoing to locate the remaining 14 individuals.
According to local information, the group set out toward Iran through the Margho Desert in the middle of last week but failed to reach their destination or cross the border, disappearing in the vast desert.
The identities of the victims and the provinces they came from have not yet been established.
Images circulating on social media appear to show the bodies lying among the sand dunes, with some partially buried by shifting sand.
This is not an isolated incident. In early July, two Afghan men died in separate incidents while attempting to reach Iran through irregular routes. One, a 22-year-old man from Khost identified as Farid, reportedly died of heatstroke while crossing through Nimroz province. In a separate case, a 27-year-old man from Parwan province, identified as Saber and reportedly a former member of the Afghan government’s security forces, was killed in a shooting near the Afghanistan-Iran border.
Similarly, in late May, local sources said two young men from Kiti district of Daykundi province—identified as Aynuddin Bayani and Ali Ebrahimi—died in separate incidents while attempting to reach Iran through dangerous smuggling routes.
Taken together, these incidents highlight the continuing human toll of irregular migration from Afghanistan.
Severe poverty, widespread unemployment, and the suspension of the normal Iranian visa issuance process have pushed many Afghans to attempt dangerous irregular journeys to Iran in search of work and better economic opportunities.
In recent years, numerous cases have been reported of Afghan citizens being killed or dying while attempting to reach Iran through smuggling routes. Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, worsening economic conditions, limited employment opportunities, and restrictions affecting many sectors of society have contributed to increased irregular migration.
Many Afghans continue to undertake hazardous journeys through border regions despite the risks of armed violence, harsh environmental conditions, exploitation by human smugglers, and the possibility of death along the way.
The journeys are often fatal. Last year, Iranian border guards killed at least 12 Afghan migrants in a single incident when they fired on a group of 35 people attempting to cross the border.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), around eight million Afghans have left the country since 2020, with about one million reaching European countries, the majority via irregular migration paths. The IOM has documented at least 5,046 Afghan migrant deaths since 2014, including many in border areas after the Taliban’s return to power.
