Over 1,000 Afghan Families Return in a Single Day as Migrant Repatriations Rise
The Taliban administration has announced a recent increase in the return of Afghan migrants from Pakistan and Iran. On Friday alone (February 19), 1,103 families re-entered Afghanistan through border crossings. This report comes amid continued forced expulsions and returns in recent months.
According to Bakhtar News Agency, 853 families crossed into Afghanistan via the Torkham border, while 134 families returned through Spin Boldak from Pakistan. Additionally, 109 families crossed the Pul-e-Khumri checkpoint and 17 through Islam Qala from Iran.
Data released by the Taliban authorities show that on Thursday, 906 families and on Wednesday, 841 families returned from Pakistan and Iran, indicating a sustained increase in returnees over the past few days.
Earlier reports stated that over 2.9 million Afghan migrants were expelled from Iran and Pakistan in the past year. Furthermore, it is estimated that since October 2023, about 5.4 million migrants have returned to Afghanistan from these two countries.
While the Taliban refers to these movements as “returns,” many monitoring organizations emphasize that a significant portion of these individuals are coming back due to pressure and forced expulsions. Despite the rising numbers of returnees, concerns remain over the lack of job opportunities, essential services, and shelter for newly arrived families—issues that the Taliban administration has yet to address with clear and comprehensive plans.
