Over 4,000 Afghan Refugees Returned to Country from Iran

Iranian border security officials said at least 4,000 Afghan refugees were returned to Afghanistan through Zabol crossing point over the past 24 hours.

According to Iranian border official Parwiz Qasimzada, these Afghan migrants were arrested and returned to Afghanistan due to the reasons for illegal entry and stay and the expiration date of their passports.

Qasimzada further added in order to enter, stay and exit Iran, foreign nationals will have to use legal channels. He stressed that those foreign nationals who are illegally entering Iran will face legal action from the border guards.

Previously, the head of refugees in Iran’s Razavi Khorasan province had said over the past year, nearly 90,000 Afghan refugees were returned to Afghanistan through the Dogharun border.

Since the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021, millions of vulnerable Afghan families migrated to the neighboring countries including Iran and Pakistan.

Earlier, Ali Kazimi, Deputy Justice Minister of Iran had said that roughly 63% of refugees in the country are from Afghanistan.  

The International Organization for Migration in its latest report highlighted that 3.6 million Afghans migrated to the neighboring countries in the past two years, 70% of them to Iran, 18% to Pakistan, 11% to Turkey, and 2% to other countries.

This comes as the Islamic Regime of Iran has forcefully deported thousands of Afghans to the country over the past months.

Taliban officials have repeatedly reported the return of Afghan nationals from Iran in the past months. It is believed that some of these refugees willingly and others forcefully returned to Afghanistan.

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