RASC News Agency: According to data compiled from reports by Bakhtar News Agency, which operates under Taliban administration, Iran and Pakistan collectively expelled 449 Afghanistani refugee families between February 8 and February 15. Of these, Iran deported 335 families, while Pakistan expelled 114 families, employing a combination of forced and voluntary repatriation measures. These figures account for only five days of the reported week, as Bakhtar News Agency did not release deportation statistics for Tuesday and Thursday. The data reveals that 52 families re-entered Afghanistan through the Torkham border crossing, while 62 families returned via Spin Boldak.
Additionally, 153 families crossed back through Pul-e-Abrisham in Nimroz, and another 182 families were repatriated through the Islam Qala border. This wave of deportations follows a similar pattern from the preceding week (February 2 to February 8), during which Iran and Pakistan expelled a total of 648 Afghanistani refugee families. Breakdown statistics indicate that Iran deported 446 families, while Pakistan expelled 202 families, both under coercive and voluntary mechanisms. Since the Taliban’s return to power, millions of Afghanistani citizens have fled the country, seeking refuge abroad to escape political persecution, ethnic discrimination, and systemic repression.
Following their takeover, the Taliban launched a campaign of retribution against former security forces, escalated ethnic and linguistic divisions, and carried out arbitrary arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings. These conditions have fueled one of the largest refugee crises in recent history, as Afghanistani asylum seekers continue to face forced repatriation and uncertain futures.
