Farah Province – Local sources in western Afghanistan’s Farah province report that on Sunday, December 29, 2024 (9 Qaws 1403), Iranian border guards opened fire on a group of 35 Afghan citizens attempting to cross illegally into Iran through the “78 Mile” border area, killing at least 12 people.
Kabul 24: According to eyewitnesses and security sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, the victims were mostly young men from Farah, Herat, and Nimroz provinces seeking work.
The group was moving under cover of darkness when Iranian forces fired directly at them without warning.
The bodies of 12 victims have been recovered and transferred to Farah Provincial Hospital. The fate of the remaining 23 individuals remains unknown; many are believed to have been wounded or left behind on the Iranian side of the border.No official statement has been issued by the Taliban authorities in Kabul or the local administration in Farah.
The Iranian embassy in Kabul has not responded to requests for comment.This is not the first such incident. Over the past two years, at least four similar shootings along the Afghanistan–Iran border (in Farah, Nimroz, and Herat) have claimed more than 45 Afghan lives, with dozens more injured or missing.
Human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have repeatedly condemned Iran’s reported “shoot-to-kill” policy against unarmed migrants.Families of the victims in Farah are in shock and are demanding information about the missing and the return of any additional bodies from Iranian territory.
Local activists have announced plans for protests in the coming days.The incident once again highlights the deadly risks faced by desperate Afghans attempting irregular migration in search of work amid the country’s ongoing economic and humanitarian crisis.
