Pakistan, Iran deport more than 5,500 Afghans in one day

More than 5,500 Afghan refugees were forcibly repatriated from Iran and Pakistan in a single day. In a social media post today, Taliban deputy spokesperson Mullah Hamdullah Fitrat said that 1,014 families, comprising 5,580 people, returned to Afghanistan on Sunday. Fitrat revealed that, earlier, 4,991 Afghan migrants were forcibly deported from Iran and Pakistan on Saturday.

Meanwhile, refugees, who have recently returned to Afghanistan and are now residing in designated camps, have urged the Taliban to provide them shelter, employment opportunities and access to necessary supplies as the winter season is approaching. The Taliban has assured that it will provide assistance to Afghan refugees and urged host nations to stop forced deportations. Aid agencies have warned that mass returns are increasing pressure on Afghanistan, where millions already face food insecurity, unemployment and sharply reduced international assistance.