50 Families Return via Torkham as Afghanistan’s Crises Deepen
The Taliban administration has said that, as economic and humanitarian crises continue in Afghanistan, dozens of migrant families have returned to the country through several border crossings, a situation that has fuelled warnings that Afghanistan may be unable to absorb a new wave of returnees.
The Taliban-run Commission for Addressing Migrants’ Problems, citing Irav, said 50 families comprising 259 people entered Afghanistan through the Torkham crossing. According to the commission, 14 families, or 71 people, also returned via the Spin Boldak route.
Based on these figures, 58 families comprising 253 people entered the country through the Silk Bridge crossing, while three families, or 12 people, arrived in Afghanistan via Islam Qala. In Kabul, 15 families comprising 70 people were also transferred to various provinces.
These returns come as Afghanistan faces widespread poverty, declining per capita income and falling exports. Alongside the economic crisis, Taliban restrictions on women and girls remain in place, barring them from education beyond the sixth grade.
The United Nations and international organisations have previously warned that mass returns of migrants under the current conditions could expose them to human trafficking, sexual exploitation, forced labour and debt bondage. They have also said that hunger and climate change are threatening the health of millions, and that without sustained support, the risk of worsening poverty and social instability will grow.
Torkham, on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, is one of the most important routes for travel and trade, while Islam Qala and the Silk Bridge are also key entry points from Iran and Central Asia; these crossings have repeatedly seen new groups of returnees in recent months.
