Under Pressure from Tehran.. Approximately 450,000 Afghans Leave Iran
Arab & International

Under Pressure from Tehran.. Approximately 450,000 Afghans Leave Iran

SadaNews - Approximately 450,000 Afghans have returned from Iran to Afghanistan since the beginning of June, according to the International Organization for Migration on Monday, after Tehran requested that individuals without documents leave before July 6.

At the end of May, Iran announced that unregistered Afghans must leave the country by July 6, a situation that could affect four million people out of nearly six million Afghans that Tehran claims live in the country.

UN agencies reported that the number of people crossing the border has increased since mid-June, with around 40,000 people crossing the Islam Qala border post in western Herat on some days.

A spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration stated that 449,218 Afghans returned from Iran from June 1 to July 5, adding that the total number of returnees since the beginning of the year is 906,326 individuals.

Many of those who crossed into Afghanistan reported pressure from Iranian authorities, arrests, and deportations, as well as losing their limited savings in the rush to leave.

The significant reduction in foreign aid has impacted the response to the crisis, while the United Nations and international humanitarian organizations, along with Taliban officials, have called for more funding to support the returnees.

The United Nations warned that this influx could destabilize a country suffering from extreme poverty, unemployment, and climate change-related shocks, urging nations not to forcibly return Afghans.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees stated in a statement on Friday that "forcing Afghans or pressuring them to return threatens further instability in the region and drives them to move towards Europe."