RASC News Agency: In a controversial statement, Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, the Taliban’s Minister of Refugees, claimed that many Afghanistani migrants in Europe are enduring deplorable, inhumane conditions, comparing their circumstances to that of “animals.” Speaking on Thursday, October 24th, during an event at Kabul’s Babur Garden, Haqqani asserted that Afghanistani migrants had fallen victim to foreign propaganda, leading them to leave their homeland only to suffer in European camps. “They are living like animals,” Haqqani stated, while offering no substantial evidence to support his claims. He argued that these individuals had forfeited a life of “dignity” in Afghanistan in exchange for what he termed “subhuman” conditions in the West.
Haqqani’s remarks starkly contrast with global reports showing that the exodus from Afghanistan is driven by escalating poverty, unemployment, and the oppressive regime of the Taliban. Many Afghanistani citizens are seeking asylum in Western countries to escape severe human rights abuses. In these nations, they hope to regain their fundamental rights, including access to education, employment, sports, and political participation, without facing persecution or intimidation. The minister further alleged that human traffickers are capitalizing on the desperation of Afghanistani citizens, drawing them away from their country. Despite this, Haqqani insisted that the Taliban is actively working to dismantle these trafficking networks.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), nearly eight million Afghanistani citizens have fled the country since 2020, driven primarily by insecurity, widespread human rights violations, and economic collapse. Of those displaced, one million have sought refuge in European countries, while the majority around 85% have migrated to neighboring countries. Haqqani’s comments have sparked further debate about the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the treatment of its citizens abroad.
