RASC News Agency: In a single day, over 180 Afghanistani refugee families were deported from Iran and Pakistan, returning to their homeland. According to the Bakhtar News Agency, which is under Taliban administration, on Sunday, August 4th, 181 Afghanistani refugee families were expelled from Iran and Pakistan, both “forcibly and voluntarily.”
The majority of these refugees, primarily those forcibly deported, have moved to their desired destinations upon crossing the border. The report indicates that these refugees entered Afghanistan through border crossings in the provinces of Nangarhar, Kandahar, Nimroz, and Herat. The Taliban-administered news agency adds that 30 families entered the country via the Torkham crossing, and 60 families through the Spin Boldak route.
According to the report, 58 families entered through the Silk Bridge border in Nimroz, and another 33 families through the Islam Qala border in Herat. This development follows a recent report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which stated that over 50% of returning refugees from Pakistan in the past week have been women.
A significant number of those deported are women and children. They do not wish to return to poverty-stricken Afghanistan but are being forcibly expelled. It is noteworthy that several Afghanistani refugees in Iran have recently reported an increase in mistreatment by police and citizens. They claim that following the killing of an Iranian citizen in eastern Tehran, local residents have been treating them poorly, causing significant distress.
In videos circulating on social media over the past week, residents of District 15 in Tehran are seen chanting “Death to Afghanistani refugees” during a demonstration, criticizing the Iranian government’s neglect of these refugees. Meanwhile, Pakistan has also intensified the deportation of Afghanistani refugees, raising concerns among Afghanistani citizens who face threats from the Taliban.
