Over 345,000 Afghans deported from Iran to Afghanistan in 2 months: Taliban

Afghans preparing to leave a holding center in Landi Kotal, Pakistan. Representative image/AFP

More than 345,000 Afghans have been deported from Iran to Afghanistan in over two months, Afghanistan-based TOLO News reported, citing a senior official of the Taliban-led Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation. Abdul Rahman Rashid, Taliban-appointed Deputy Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, said, "Since the first of Mizan (23rd September) till 17 Qaws (December 8) there were approximately 345,000. Each family has been provided with 10,000 Afs in cash assistance by the Islamic Emirate."

Mohammad Yousuf and Fatih Khan, who left Afghanistan and went to Iran to make both ends meet, have been deported from Iran. They complained about the mistreatment of Afghan refugees by Iranian forces, according to TOLO News report. Yousuf said, "There was no work here, then we went to Iran through illegal paths. They beat us and detained us."

Khan said, "They captured us and beat us. They beat us badly and forced us to return." The deportees raised concerns regarding the lack of employment in Afghanistan and urged the Taliban to make efforts to create jobs for the citizens. Shirin Agha, a deportee, said, "We call on our government to provide us with work so the people are not forced to leave." Ahmadullah, a deportee, called on Taliban to provide them with work. This comes as Iranian officials have said that Afghans without legal documents will be deported from Iran, TOLO News reported.

Last week, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Wahidi reiterated that Afghan citizens who are currently residing in Iran illegally should return to their country, according to TOLO News. However, Wahifi did not mention a group or a country but said that the "enemy" wants to start anti-Afghan sentiments by creating a conflict between Afghans and Iranians. He further highlighted that Iran's capital, Tehran, has also planned for immigrants with documents, according to TOLO News.

"When the Taliban came here, I told them that you should prepare the ground for them (Afghan immigrants) to return to their country. After all, everyone should return to their own lives. You should come up with a mechanism for their return, and they said to give us some time," Wahidi said. Asifa Stanikzai, a women's rights activist, said, "Different countries and organisations should continue their humanitarian aid to the refugees who need help, regardless of the internal conditions of Afghanistan."

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