A number of Farah residents in western Afghanistan who have been deported from Iran in recent months say they are struggling to secure jobs, leaving them unable to support their families
Ahmad Shah, a resident of Farah who said he was deported from Iran about two months ago, described repeated but unsuccessful efforts to find work.
“Every day I go to the square to look for a job, but I cannot find anything,” he said. “I have even tried several times to return to Iran through smugglers, but I failed. There are no job opportunities here.”
Other unemployed residents echoed similar concerns, saying daily attempts to find work have yielded no results.
They also criticized Taliban, saying there are no clear programs in place to create employment opportunities for returnees.
Abdul Karim, another resident, said work is only available seasonally.
“We only find work during the wheat harvest,” he said. “The government should have a plan for us. The Ministry of Labor has no program.”
Raz Mohammad, another resident of Farah, said economic conditions are worsening.
“There is no work at all, and we are very distressed,” he said. “There has been no support for poor people.”
Mass deportations of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan have been cited as a key factor behind rising unemployment in western provinces, including Farah.
Iran has been deporting Afghan migrants in large numbers on a daily basis for the past two years. Figures by Taliban’s commission for refugees affairs show that at least 200 individuals were deported from Iran in the past 24 hours.
