Frontex Reports Returning Nearly 50 Afghan Refugees to Taliban-Run Afghanistan
The European Union’s border agency, Frontex, has reported that since the beginning of this year, it has transferred nearly 50 Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan under Taliban rule as part of a “voluntary return” program. According to an exclusive report by EU Observer, the implementation of this program within Afghanistan has been entrusted to a Belgian NGO named Irara.
The report adds that Irara is run by former British private security industry executives who have experience working with major security firms involved in managing migrant detention centers and deportation transfers. EU Observer notes that in recent years, as EU policies towards deporting refugees have intensified, Irara has become one of the major recipients of Frontex funding.
According to published data, Irara received contracts worth €19.5 million in 2024 and approximately €39 million in 2025 from Frontex. Financial statistics indicate that the organization’s total assets increased from €3.57 million to €15.46 million within one year, and its net book value rose from about €16,000 in 2021 to nearly €8 million in 2024.
The report also highlights a lack of transparency in Irara’s activities. Although a Frontex spokesperson confirmed that Irara is the agency’s operational partner in Afghanistan, Irara’s official website makes no mention of activities in Afghanistan or cooperation with Frontex there; instead, it lists countries such as Nigeria, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Vietnam.
EU Observer interprets these developments as coinciding with the European Commission’s indirect efforts to expand contacts with the Taliban administration. The report suggests that the EU aims to facilitate the return of Afghan migrants to a country that, after years of war, is now governed by a group accused of widespread human rights violations, particularly against women and minorities.
In June, a Taliban delegation met in Brussels with officials from 15 EU member states to discuss the return of migrants—an encounter that drew criticism from human rights organizations.
Frontex Executive Director Hans Leiteins told EU Observer that currently the agency is unable to carry out forced deportations to Afghanistan but did not rule out the possibility of this changing in the future, depending on political decisions by member states and Afghanistan’s security situation. He said, “It might happen in the future, but I do not know yet.”
This report comes as international human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that returning refugees to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan could expose them to serious risks, as the human rights and security situation in many parts of the country remains unstable and alarming.
