KABUL, DEC 22 – The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has reported the deportation of more than 3,800 Afghan families from neighboring countries in the past month.
Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, spokesperson for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, stated that out of this number, fourteen families were deported from Turkey, 1,017 families from Pakistan, and the rest from Iran, all of whom have returned to Afghanistan.
The spokesperson added: “In the past month, 3,845 Afghan families have returned to the country from neighboring countries, including fourteen families from Turkey, 1,017 families from Pakistan, and the rest from Iran. Assistance has been provided to returnees at border crossings, and some have even been transported to their areas.”
Simultaneously, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has also reported the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Afghan migrants from Iran this year. According to the UN agency, Iran plans to deport two million undocumented foreign nationals by March next year.
Caroline Gluck, spokesperson for UNHCR in Afghanistan, stated: “In the past year hundreds of thousands of people have been returned to Afghanistan many of them forced back despite UNHCR’s non-return advisory. The authorities in Tehran have said that they plan to expel two million undocumented foreigners by next march; and new arrivals here have significantly increased since September. UNHCR’s position is that all returns should be voluntary, and carried out in safety and dignity.”
Meanwhile, some citizens recently deported from Iran have expressed serious challenges. They call on officials in the caretaker government to provide them with basic living facilities.
“I have many problems; I have 12 to 13 dependents, some of whom are sick, and my parents are elderly,” said Sher Mohammad, a migrant deported from Iran.
“I am unemployed. I have no work, no place to sleep, and no food,” said Eslahuddin, another deportee.
Earlier, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation also reported that over 900,000 Afghan migrants returned to the country from Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan in the first eight months of the current solar year.
