GENEVA — In an address to the 6th meeting of the 75th Session of the UN Human High Commissioner for Refugees, Nasir Ahmad Andisha, Afghanistan’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva, called for a “thorough” investigation into the reported deaths of Afghan migrants along the Iran-Afghanistan border.
Andisha highlighted the need to address reports of a deadly border incident involving Afghan migrants.
“As we speak, Madam President, we just received the tragic news of allegedly more than 200 Afghan nationals being shot at, at the border between Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, underscoring the urgency to address this crisis,” he said. “As the information is trickling down, this could be one of the worst tragic border incidents of its kind, which demands thorough investigation and accountability.”
Andisha emphasized the plight of Afghan migrants who, fleeing what he described as a “repressive Taliban regime,” face mounting xenophobia and harsh treatment in host countries. He noted that since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, nearly eight million Afghans have sought refuge abroad—a figure surpassing even the mass exodus during the Soviet occupation.
Meanwhile, Taliban have announced that a committee, formed under the directive of the Taliban chief minister, would investigate the incident. According to Taliban spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat, the committee includes officials from the Taliban-run ministries of defense and interior, as well as the Taliban’s intelligence agency.
The Iranian human rights organization Haalvsh, which initially reported the incident with video footage of Afghan migrants, claimed that dozens had been killed. However, precise casualty numbers remain unclear.
The incident has sparked widespread reactions both within Afghanistan and internationally. Iran’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, denied reports that Iranian border guards had killed dozens of Afghan migrants. Taliban stated that they would make a decision after more details about the incident become clear.
