Afghanistan Times
Related Articles
KABUL — The Taliban government on Wednesday sharply criticized Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey for what it described as the large-scale, forced deportation of Afghan refugees, calling the expulsion campaign a grave breach of humanitarian norms and Islamic ethics.
Speaking at a press conference in Kabul, Abdul Rahman Rashid, the Taliban’s deputy minister for refugees and repatriation, said the country is experiencing an unprecedented wave of returnees, many arriving with no resources and nowhere to go. “This level of mass expulsion is something Afghanistan has never seen in its history,” Rashid declared, describing the removals as “a serious violation of international norms, humanitarian principles, and Islamic values.”
In the past three months alone, Iran has forcibly returned nearly 1.8 million Afghans, while Pakistan has expelled 184,459. Turkey has deported over 5,000 Afghans since January. In addition, close to 10,000 Afghan prisoners—most of them from Pakistan—have been repatriated, further straining a nation grappling with an economic crisis and a collapsing aid infrastructure.
Despite official denials, human rights groups say Afghan nationals have been disproportionately targeted in sweeping crackdowns on undocumented migrants across the region. The expulsions are occurring at a time when Afghanistan’s internal crises are compounding—millions face hunger, joblessness is soaring, and natural disasters are forcing thousands more from their homes.
Mahmood al Haq Ahadi, the ministry’s director of policy and planning, said extreme weather—including droughts, floods, and violent storms—has displaced at least 13,500 families in recent months. When combined with ongoing internal displacement due to conflict and economic collapse, the total number of internally displaced families now stands at nearly 2.5 million.
With roughly 6 million Afghan refugees still living abroad, the Taliban says it plans to send diplomatic delegations to neighboring countries in an effort to resolve the crisis through dialogue. “Our goal is to find sustainable solutions through legal pathways and cooperation,” Ahadi said.
International aid organizations have warned that Afghanistan’s fragile support systems are being pushed to the brink. Many returning families are arriving in areas already overwhelmed by poverty and lacking in basic services, leaving them at risk of further displacement, exploitation, and hunger.
While the Taliban’s call for humane treatment of refugees may ring hollow for some critics, it underscores the deepening humanitarian crisis in a country largely isolated on the world stage and left to manage the fallout of regional power politics on its own.
