KABUL—More than 500 Afghan migrant families returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan between December 7 and December 13, according to data released by Taliban-controlled media institutions.
During this period, 374 families returned from Iran and 135 families from Pakistan, with many reportedly “forcibly deported or voluntarily repatriated.” The data was incomplete, as the Taliban-run Bakhtar news agency did not provide figures for Monday and Tuesday of that week.
The families entered Afghanistan through various border crossings, including Torkham in Nangarhar, Spin Boldak in Kandahar, Pul-e-Abrisham in Nimroz, and Islam Qala in Herat. Specifically, 57 families returned via Torkham and 78 through Spin Boldak, while 134 families crossed at Pul-e-Abrisham and 240 at Islam Qala.
In the previous week, from December 3 to December 9, Iran and Pakistan reportedly deported 674 Afghan refugees. However, the Taliban did not provide complete statistics for those two days either.
The recent returns are part of a broader trend. Last month, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), citing data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), reported that 2.2 million Afghan migrants had returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan between August 2023 and September 2024. Of these, 734,817 returned from Pakistan alone.
The forced and voluntary returns come amid rising regional tensions and ongoing humanitarian concerns over the treatment of Afghan refugees in neighboring countries.
