As the deportations from Iran and Pakistan continue, more than 3,000 individuals returned to the country on Thursday, Jan. 15, according to data by the Taliban’s commission for refugees.
According to a daily report by the commission, a total of 514 families comprising 3,096 individuals were registered after returning to Afghanistan on Thursday.
The returns took place via key border points including Torkham in eastern Nangarhar, Spin Boldak in Kandahar, Islam Qala in Herat, Silk Road crossing in Nimroz and Bahramcha in Helmand.
The largest number of returnees entered through Torkham, where 447 families, or 2,757 people, were registered after crossing from Pakistan.
An additional 547 families were transported onward from Torkham to provinces including Nangarhar, Kunar, Laghman and Kabul.
Smaller groups of returnees were recorded at other crossings. In Kandahar’s Spin Boldak, 28 families returned, while 18 families and 342 individual passengers entered via the Silk Road crossing in Nimroz. In Helmand, 11 families returned through Bahramcha, and 10 families crossed into Herat via Islam Qala from Iran, the report said.
Taliban authorities said financial assistance was provided to 584 families, alongside basic services including healthcare, food distribution and telecommunications support. A total of 628 SIM cards were distributed free of charge to returnees, and transport assistance was provided to more than 600 families relocating from border areas to their home provinces.
Afghanistan has seen a sharp rise in deportations from neighbouring countries, particularly Pakistan, over the past two years.
The United Nations has said that about 2.6 million migrants returned to Afghanistan in 2025, warning that large-scale returns are placing severe strain on the country’s limited resources and humanitarian response capacity.
