KABUL — Iran and Pakistan have expelled more than 6,000 migrant families in the past ten days, according to a review of official figures from the Taliban-run Ministry of Refugees.
Between May 30 and June 8, at least 6,325 Afghan families were deported from the two neighboring countries, including 5,507 from Iran and 823 from Pakistan, through both forced and so-called voluntary returns.
According to the latest available report from the refugee ministry, issued last Thursday, 775 families were expelled in a single day — 715 from Iran and 60 from Pakistan.
Data from various border points shows 495 families entered Afghanistan via the Torkham crossing, 267 through Spin Boldak, and one family from the Angoor Adda crossing in Paktika Province.
From the western borders, 3,655 families returned through Islam Qala, 1,118 from Pul-e-Abrisham, and 19 families entered via Bahramcha in Helmand Province.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) recently reported that Iran forcibly deported 15,675 Afghan families in the previous month alone.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has also intensified its deportation campaign, including the detention of Afghan human rights activists and journalists who are at risk of retaliation from the Taliban. The crackdown has drawn widespread condemnation from international rights organizations, which have called the deportations a violation of international refugee law. Despite the outcry, Islamabad has shown no signs of reversing its policy.
The ongoing mass expulsions come as Afghanistan continues to face one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with widespread food insecurity, limited access to shelter, and deteriorating human rights under Taliban rule.
