Staff Reporter:
Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Iran every day to escape war and forced deportation, according to a major international aid agency and a Taliban official.
Iran has hosted millions of Afghans for decades, but the numbers leaving have surged since October 2023, when Iranian authorities began cracking down on foreigners residing in the country illegally. Around the same time, Pakistan launched a similar campaign targeting undocumented Afghans.
The situation has worsened since Iran’s war with Israel erupted last Friday. Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran have added to the fear and instability, prompting even more Afghans to return home.
World Vision International reports that around 5,000 Afghans are returning daily through the Islam Qala border crossing in western Herat province.
The agency noted that among the 500,000 forcibly returned from Iran to Herat this year, there were people “at risk, distressed, and in great need.”
“Many require support to find food and shelter, get hold of everyday essentials, and connect with their families before travelling to their hometowns or villages,” said Mark Calder, the agency’s communications and advocacy director for Afghanistan. “But they are returning to a country in which basic services are already in crisis.”
Years of conflict and aid reductions have crippled Afghanistan’s basic infrastructure. Cuts in US aid and a funding shortfall for humanitarian operations have forced the closure of hundreds of health facilities and severely limited services such as education.
The United Nations said Thursday that its Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan had received only 18% of the required annual funding as of June 19. The shortfall has disrupted assistance for millions of vulnerable people, including women and children, refugees, returnees, displaced communities, and other marginalized groups.
Calder warned that the number of people requiring lifesaving aid could “spiral further” if the international community does not step in to support emergency needs and help Afghans rebuild their lives.
Ahmadullah Muttaqi, head of Herat’s Refugee Information and Public Affairs Committee, said Friday that before June 13, between 3,500 and 4,000 undocumented Afghans were entering Herat daily due to Iran’s deportation campaign. That number has doubled since the outbreak of the war.
He added that between 800 and 1,000 Afghans with valid passports were arriving in Herat each day before the war began. Now, that number is approximately 4,000.
