KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local sources say that two Afghan men were killed in separate incidents while attempting to reach Iran through irregular migration routes, highlighting the growing risks faced by Afghans seeking to leave the country.
One man reportedly died from heatstroke while crossing through Nimroz province, while another was killed in a shooting near the Afghanistan-Iran border.
According to local sources in Khost, a 22-year-old man identified as Farid died while traveling on an irregular route to Iran through the border areas of Nimroz province.
A relative of Farid told KabulNow that he died of heatstroke on Tuesday last week (June 30). According to the source, Farid was buried on Thursday.
In a separate incident, sources confirmed that a 27-year-old man from Parwan province was killed in a shooting near the Afghanistan-Iran border.
According to the sources, the victim, identified as Saber, was a resident of Khwaja Mohammad Khail village in Jabal Saraj district. One source said that Saber had served as a member of the former Afghan government’s security forces.
A source said that on Thursday (July 2), Saber and several others were attempting to cross into Iran through the Nimroz border using an irregular route when the vehicle carrying them came under fire in the Afghan border area. According to the source, the shooting was carried out by Taliban forces.
Saber was killed in the shooting, while three other people, including two women, were injured.
Another source confirmed Saber’s death but said it remains unclear who was responsible for the shooting.
According to the source, Saber was struck in the head by a bullet. The source added that three of the injured were also from Khwaja Mohammad Khail village in Jabal Saraj district.
The source said Saber’s funeral was held on Friday (July 3), while the injured were transferred to Kabul for medical treatment.
In recent days, five young men from Nangarhar were also killed by Iranian border guards while attempting to enter Iran through the Nimroz border.
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.
