RASC News Agency: The Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations has announced that in the past three days, 4,233 migrants have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran. On Saturday, July 20, the Ministry stated that out of this total, 729 individuals were expelled from Pakistan, and 3,504 from Iran. The Ministry noted that the number of returnees has increased compared to the previous day’s figures.
According to the Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations, these migrants returned through the Torkham, Spin Boldak, Islam Qala, and Silk Bridge border crossings—locations frequently used for deportations. The Taliban reported that most of these migrants consist of Afghanistani families residing in Iran and Pakistan, including women and children. It was previously reported that a significant portion of the returnees are women and children.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations of the Taliban claimed that these migrants returned from Pakistan and Iran both voluntarily and forcibly. However, Afghanistani migrants have stated that the police in these countries detained them before forcibly deporting them back to Afghanistan. Previously, expelled migrants from Iran and Pakistan reported that the police in these two countries detained and then forcibly deported them. The number of voluntary returnees is minimal.
This situation comes amid an increased effort by the governments of Pakistan and Iran to expel undocumented Afghanistani migrants. The Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations reports that more than a thousand Afghanistani migrants return daily from these countries.
