Forced deportations of Afghan citizens from neighboring countries have surged to unprecedented levels in the four years since the Taliban returned to power.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that from September 2023 to the present, more than 4 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan — most under forced repatriations.
A recent U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) report warned that returnees, especially women, former soldiers, ex-government employees and journalists, face serious risks of torture, arbitrary detention and other human rights violations by the Taliban. Some have cited the Taliban’s restrictions, particularly the ban on girls’ education, as their biggest concern about returning to Afghanistan.
After the collapse of the U.S.-backed republic in August 2021, migration from Afghanistan to neighboring countries surged. Many left out of fear of Taliban rule or to ensure their children, especially daughters, could continue their education.
According to the U.N. refugee agency, before the fall of the republic there were nearly 2 million Afghan refugees in Iran and 1.5 million in Pakistan. Those numbers rose to more than 5 million in Iran and nearly 2 million in Pakistan after the Taliban takeover.
The IOM said that in 2021 and 2022, nearly 3.6 million Afghans migrated — 70% to Iran, 18% to Pakistan and 11% to Turkey. In the past two years, Iran and Pakistan began mass deportations.
Following the outbreak of war between Iran and Israel this year, deportations from Iran intensified sharply. Photos and reports from border areas show returnees crowded into temporary camps with shortages of water, food and medical care. Some said they were beaten, had their belongings confiscated, and were subjected to inhumane treatment during deportation.
The U.N. has warned that the scale of returns is straining aid agencies, with existing resources sufficient to meet the immediate needs of only one in ten returnees.
