More than 7,000 Afghan migrants were forcibly returned to Afghanistan on Saturday, Dec. 20, through multiple border crossings with Pakistan and Iran, according to figures released by the Taliban’s commission for refugees and repatriation.
The commission said the largest number of returnees crossed through the Torkham border in eastern Nangarhar province, where 3,791 people were registered and biometrically documented.
Another 964 people returned via the Spin Boldak crossing in southern Kandahar province, while 385 crossed through Bahramcha in Helmand province, the commission said.
In southwestern Nimroz province, 222 people were registered after entering through the Silk Road crossing, while an additional 1,711 passengers were reported to have returned through the same route.
A further 50 people crossed into Afghanistan via the Islam Qala border point in western Herat province, according to the statement.
The Taliban commission said the returnees were provided with registration, verification and initial reception services at the border points. The returns come amid stepped-up deportation campaigns by Pakistan and Iran targeting undocumented Afghan migrants in recent months.
The returnees are arriving in a country grappling with widespread unemployment, deep poverty and a fragile economy, with aid agencies warning that large-scale deportations are straining Afghanistan’s limited capacity to absorb returning migrants, particularly during the winter months.
