Afghanistan faces new crisis as hundreds of thousands forced back from Iran
Nazir, 24, has worked at a restaurant in Tehran for the past four years. He arrived at Islam Qala — part of the main route connecting Afghanistan's Herat and Iran's Mashhad — on July 6, which was the deadline that Iranian authorities set for undocumented Afghans to leave.
'Two days ago, the Iranian police took me from the restaurant and put me on a bus to Islam Qala. I came with nothing but my work clothes,' he told Arab News.
A native of the central Parwan province — some 600 km from Herat — Nazir is now waiting for his family to help him return home.
He is one of nearly 450,000 Afghans who returned to the country since June, according to estimates by the International Organization for Migration and local nongovernmental organizations helping the returnees.
'Approximately 30,000 Afghans are returning from Iran each day through the Islam Qala border crossing, and most are forcibly deported. They include both undocumented refugees and Afghans with legal documents,' said Abdul Fatah Jawad, director of the Ehsas Welfare and Social Services Organization, which is providing help in Herat province.
'Most families arriving at the Islam Qala border crossing have no tents, forcing many to improvise makeshift shelters to shield themselves and their children from the scorching sun. They wait in these harsh conditions for their turn to receive limited cash assistance before continuing on to their home provinces.'
Many have nowhere to go as they moved to Iran decades ago with their whole families. Afghanistan's Taliban authorities, which have vowed to support all those returning, do not have the means and funding to do so.
'The people of Herat have shown tremendous support, offering food and transportation to returning families,' Jawad said.
'Ehsas is providing cooked meals and water to up to 3,000 people each day, but this support is far from sufficient given the scale of new arrivals. A significantly broader and more urgent response is needed from the government, international organizations, and those with the means to contribute. This is a humanitarian crisis of much greater magnitude.'
The exodus from Iran is worsening a crisis caused by a similar deportation drive that has been underway in Pakistan since last year.
The two countries have hosted millions of Afghans fleeing war and poverty at home for the past 40 years. Official estimates suggest that over 4 million Afghan nationals were living in Pakistan, while in Iran, the figure is around 6 million, with 4 million believed to be undocumented.
In 2025 alone, more than 900,000 Afghan refugees and migrants have been forced to leave both countries, pushing local systems to the brink of collapse and jeopardizing access to vital services for both returnees and the communities that host them.
While many Afghans have fled the Israeli bombing of Iranian cities in mid-June, the directive for undocumented migrants to depart voluntarily has been in place since March. Iranian authorities ordered them to comply by July 6 or face deportation.
Many of those returning through Islam Qala, the main border crossing, are completely unprepared to move. Some were born in Iran and have never lived in Afghanistan.
Islamuddin Momini, a university lecturer from Herat who joined a convoy delivering aid to the returnees in Islam Qala, said the situation was 'extremely grim,' with many people arriving visibly traumatized.
'They are living in a state of psychological shock, compounded by severe shortages of food, water, and shelter,' Momini told Arab News.
'Upon returning to their home provinces, returnees will face a new set of challenges, including limited access to employment, education, and livelihood opportunities.
Addressing these medium to long-term needs requires comprehensive support systems to facilitate their reintegration into society — an especially difficult task amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis and prevailing restrictions.'
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