The Taliban’s High Commission for Refugee Affairs reports that 16,147 people returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan over just two days—August 24 and 25 (2 and 3 Sunbula in the Afghan calendar).
According to the data, 7,828 individuals entered via Islam Qala in Herat and the Silk Road crossing in Nimroz, while the remainder returned from Pakistan.
Afghanistan is currently facing forced returns from all three of its neighboring countries: Iran, Pakistan, and Tajikistan.
On August 17, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni stated that Iran plans to deport at least two million undocumented Afghanistani migrants by the end of 2025. He noted that while 1.2 million have already been expelled this year alone, another six million remain in the country.
The Taliban has urged neighboring states to coordinate their deportation processes to ease the burden on returnees. However, international aid agencies continue to warn that Afghanistan lacks the infrastructure to absorb and support the influx.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than four million people have returned from Iran and Pakistan over the past two years.
