At least 17 Afghan nationals were killed or injured by landmine explosions in Iran’s border regions in 2024, according to a new report by Hengaw, a human rights organization based in Iran. Of those, nine were killed and eight others were wounded or lost limbs.
The group said Afghan casualties accounted for nearly 30 percent of all landmine victims in Iran this year. In 2023, 14 Afghan migrants were reportedly affected by landmine incidents, six of whom were killed.
Afghan migrants, many of whom work in informal labor markets or seek asylum, are among the most vulnerable populations in Iran’s border areas, Hengaw said. These regions—particularly the provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan, Kermanshah, and West Azerbaijan—contain landmines left over from the Iran-Iraq war as well as newly planted explosives.
The group alleged that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has planted additional mines in recent years under the pretext of counterinsurgency operations against armed opposition groups, especially in Kurdistan and Baluchestan provinces.
“These mines continue to pose a deadly risk to Afghan citizens and others living in or passing through these areas,” Hengaw said in its report. “The increase in landmine-related casualties reflects a growing humanitarian crisis in the border regions.”
Hengaw urged the international community to intervene by supporting demining operations and pressuring Iran to prevent further loss of civilian life.
