The Taliban’s High Commission for Addressing Migrants’ Issues reported that on Monday, 30 Saratan 1404 (July 21, 2025), a total of 13,186 Afghan migrants were deported from Iran and returned to Afghanistan.
Kabul 24: According to the commission, 10,924 migrants crossed back into the country through the Islam Qala border in Herat province, while 2,262 others entered via the Pul-e Abrisham border in Nimroz province.
This massive wave of deportations, largely forced, is part of Iran’s stringent policies targeting undocumented Afghan migrants, which have intensified following the 12-day Iran-Israel conflict in 2025.
Additionally, the commission noted that on the same day, 192 Afghan migrants returned from Pakistan through the Torkham border, and 135 others crossed back via the Spin Boldak border. These figures highlight the growing pressure on Afghan migrants in neighboring countries.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has previously warned that such large-scale deportations are placing unprecedented strain on Afghanistan’s fragile infrastructure, leaving many returnees, particularly women and children, in dire conditions with limited access to humanitarian aid.
The recent deportations have sparked widespread criticism from human rights activists. Over 1,300 activists, journalists, and citizens from Iran and Afghanistan issued an open letter urging the Iranian government to halt inhumane treatment of migrants. Reports indicate instances of mistreatment, arbitrary detentions, and even the destruction of migrants’ legal documents by Iranian forces. This situation, coupled with dwindling international aid, has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis at Afghanistan’s borders. The Taliban has called for respectful treatment of migrants, but Iranian authorities remain steadfast in their commitment to deport all undocumented migrants by the set deadline, further deepening the plight of vulnerable Afghan returnees.
