A new wave of mass deportations has swept across the region, with Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation reporting that more than 284,000 Afghans have been expelled from Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey in under a month, according to TOLOnews. The accelerating removals come amid shrinking international aid and growing concern from global humanitarian agencies.
Iran’s Interior Minister Iskandar Momeni told local media that six million foreign nationals currently reside in Iran, adding that more than 1.5 million migrants have returned to Afghanistan during the current solar year. “Despite historical, cultural, and religious ties with our neighbors, Iran’s capacity is limited, and unauthorized individuals must return,” he said. Momeni noted that over 70 percent of those who left Iran did so voluntarily.
But Afghans inside Iran describe a harsher reality. Migrants report intensified crackdowns, job restrictions, and widespread deactivation of Afghan-linked bank cards and SIM cards. “The government has said migrants should not be hired. Our children are no longer being admitted to schools,” said Morteza Nazari, an Afghan living in Iran. “Everything has become more difficult.”
Pakistan has also escalated its removals. Afghan officials say more than 2,000 Afghan detainees were recently released from Pakistani prisons, even as Islamabad continues deportations under a controversial repatriation campaign launched in late 2023.
According to ministry spokesperson Abdulmutalib Haqqani, the latest figures include 83,135 single men returning without their families and the release of 2,076 prisoners from Pakistan. “A total of 284,717 migrants have been deported,” he said.
Humanitarian organizations warn the situation is reaching a breaking point. The UN refugee agency’s representative in Afghanistan recently voiced alarm over the rapid increase in expulsions from Iran, noting that they coincide with a sharp drop in international assistance leaving returning families with little support.
Aid groups say the scale and speed of the deportations risk deepening Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis at a time when millions already face hunger, unemployment, and displacement. With border crossings overwhelmed and reintegration programs critically underfunded, Afghan officials are urging neighboring countries and international donors to coordinate a more humane, sustainable response.
