Why Afghan refugees are being deported from Iran to face Taliban rule
Iran has hosted millions of Afghan refugees for decades.
Many of them have known nothing else, other than their lives in Iran.
In the past few weeks, this all came to an end.
First came the formalities of the paperwork - sending them back to the country they or their parents fled.
Then came the shock of confronting the emotional reality of being forcibly deported.
Deportations of illegal migrants are a global topic - especially in the West.
However, the stark number of Afghans being deported from Iran is startling: 1.5 million sent back so far this year.
So why is Iran doing this now?
In June this year, Israel conducted a devastating strike on Iran's critical military and nuclear facilities and assassinated senior Iranian military officials.
Iran's suspicion is that Israeli intelligence recruited desperate and poor Afghan refugees to be agents, and guide Israeli strikes to their targets.
A video produced by the Iranian military shows what they say is a bunker near a military site - with Afghans hiding inside it.
So now many, like Maryam, are being forced to return to a country ruled by the Taliban.
Mayram told ITV News that Iranian security forces were not allowing Afghans to live or work there.
She has returned to Afghanistan and is searching for a home for her family.
Her story is the same for millions of Afghans, especially women, returning to a country where there are virtually no humanitarian agencies.
And many female returnees are not allowed to be educated or go outside unaccompanied by a male relative.
This came after years of Western intervention in Afghanistan to be rid of the Taliban so that refugees could return safely, and not under duress.
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South Wales Argus
25 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Ex-Israeli security chiefs call for end to war as Netanyahu hints at new stage
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'If anyone imagines that we can reach every terrorist and every pit and every weapon and in parallel bring our hostages home, I think it is impossible,' he said. Mr Netanyahu, meanwhile, announced on Monday that he would convene his Security Cabinet in the coming days to direct the army on the next stage of the war, hinting that even tougher military action was an option in Gaza. Mr Netanyahu said he remained committed to achieving his war objectives, including defeating Hamas, releasing all hostages and ensuring Gaza never again threatens Israel. Israeli media said the meeting was expected on Tuesday, with disagreements between Mr Netanyahu and the army chief, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, on how to proceed. The reports, citing anonymous officials in Mr Netanyahu's office, said the prime minister was pushing the army, which already controls about three quarters of Gaza, to conquer the entire territory, a step that could endanger the hostages, deepen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and further isolate Israel internationally. Various reports have said Mr Zamir opposes this step and could step down or be pushed out if it is approved. Palestinians struggle to get food from the back of a truck in southern Gaza (Mariam Dagga/AP) Several hundred Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since May while heading toward food distribution sites, airdropped parcels and aid convoys in Gaza, according to witnesses, local health officials and the United Nations human rights office. The Israeli military says it has fired only warning shots and disputes the toll. Local health officials said Israeli forces opened fire on Tuesday morning towards Palestinians seeking desperately needed aid and in targeted attacks in the central and southern Gaza Strip, killing at least 25 people. The Israeli military did not have an immediate comment. The dead include 19 people who were killed in southern Gaza, 12 of them seeking aid near the Morag corridor and in Teina area, some three kilometres (1.86 miles) from the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation hub east of Khan Younis, according to the Nasser hospital and the Ministry of Health. The ministry does not distinguish between militants and civilians and operates under the Hamas government. The UN and other international organisations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. Elsewhere in central Gaza, Al-Awda hospital said it received the bodies of six Palestinians who were killed on Tuesday after Israeli troops targeted crowds near an aid distribution site run by the GHF. The GHF, however, said there were no incidents at their sites on Tuesday. The Israeli defence body in charge of co-ordinating aid to Gaza, called COGAT, wrote on X that there will be a 'gradual and controlled renewal of the entry of goods through the private sector in Gaza'. 'This aims to increase the volume of aid entering the Gaza Strip, while reducing reliance on aid collection by the UN and international organisations,' it said Tuesday. A limited number of local merchants were approved for the plan and will sell basic food products, baby food, fruit and vegetables, and hygiene supplies through bank transfers, COGAT said. Thousands of Palestinians crowded against aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip through the southern Morag corridor on Monday, attempting to get whatever food they could during a protracted food shortage across the enclave. Mohammed Qassas from Khan Younis in southern Gaza said his children are so hungry that he is forced to storm aid trucks. 'I have young children, how am I supposed to feed them? No one has mercy. This resembles the end of the world,' he said. 'If we fight, we get the food. If we don't fight, we don't get anything.' As the trucks drove away, men climbed onto them, scrambling for any remaining scraps. 'The conditions are very challenging and we are hoping for a system to be in place,' Mr Qassas said. 'Some people go home with some 200 kilogrammes (441 pounds), and others go home with only one kilogramme (35 ounces). It is a mafia-like system.' After relentless efforts to get food from the trucks, it has become a routine for men to be seen coming back carrying flour sacks on their back, as well as carrying wounded and dead bodies from near the aid sites. Yusif Abu Mor from Khan Younis said the trucks' aid system is akin to a death trap. 'This aid is stained with humiliation and blood,' he said, adding that aid seekers run the risk of being killed by shootings or run over by aid trucks surrounded by crowds of hungry Palestinians. Israel's blockade and military offensive have made it nearly impossible to deliver aid safely, contributing to the territory's slide towards famine nearly 22 months into the war with Hamas. Aid groups say Israel's week-old measures to allow more aid in are far from sufficient. Families of hostages in Gaza fear starvation affects them too, but blame Hamas. As international alarm has mounted, several countries have airdropped aid over Gaza. The UN and aid groups call such drops costly and dangerous for residents, and say they deliver far less aid than trucks.
South Wales Guardian
40 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Ex-Israeli security chiefs call for end to war as Netanyahu hints at new stage
On the ground in Gaza, health officials reported new deaths on Tuesday of Palestinians seeking food at distribution points. The Israeli defence body co-ordinating aid to Gaza announced a new deal with local merchants to improve aid deliveries as desperation mounts. The former security officials speaking out included those who led Israel's Shin Bet internal security service, Mossad spy agency and the Israeli military. In a roughly three-minute video posted to social media this week, they demanded an end to the war and said the far-right members of the government are holding the country 'hostage' in prolonging the conflict. 'This is leading the state of Israel to the loss of its security and its identity,' Ami Ayalon, former head of Shin Bet, said in the footage. Yoram Cohen, former head of Shin Bet, called Mr Netanyahu's objectives 'a fantasy'. 'If anyone imagines that we can reach every terrorist and every pit and every weapon and in parallel bring our hostages home, I think it is impossible,' he said. Mr Netanyahu, meanwhile, announced on Monday that he would convene his Security Cabinet in the coming days to direct the army on the next stage of the war, hinting that even tougher military action was an option in Gaza. Mr Netanyahu said he remained committed to achieving his war objectives, including defeating Hamas, releasing all hostages and ensuring Gaza never again threatens Israel. Israeli media said the meeting was expected on Tuesday, with disagreements between Mr Netanyahu and the army chief, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, on how to proceed. The reports, citing anonymous officials in Mr Netanyahu's office, said the prime minister was pushing the army, which already controls about three quarters of Gaza, to conquer the entire territory, a step that could endanger the hostages, deepen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and further isolate Israel internationally. Various reports have said Mr Zamir opposes this step and could step down or be pushed out if it is approved. Several hundred Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since May while heading toward food distribution sites, airdropped parcels and aid convoys in Gaza, according to witnesses, local health officials and the United Nations human rights office. The Israeli military says it has fired only warning shots and disputes the toll. Local health officials said Israeli forces opened fire on Tuesday morning towards Palestinians seeking desperately needed aid and in targeted attacks in the central and southern Gaza Strip, killing at least 25 people. The Israeli military did not have an immediate comment. The dead include 19 people who were killed in southern Gaza, 12 of them seeking aid near the Morag corridor and in Teina area, some three kilometres (1.86 miles) from the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation hub east of Khan Younis, according to the Nasser hospital and the Ministry of Health. The ministry does not distinguish between militants and civilians and operates under the Hamas government. The UN and other international organisations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. Elsewhere in central Gaza, Al-Awda hospital said it received the bodies of six Palestinians who were killed on Tuesday after Israeli troops targeted crowds near an aid distribution site run by the GHF. The GHF, however, said there were no incidents at their sites on Tuesday. The Israeli defence body in charge of co-ordinating aid to Gaza, called COGAT, wrote on X that there will be a 'gradual and controlled renewal of the entry of goods through the private sector in Gaza'. 'This aims to increase the volume of aid entering the Gaza Strip, while reducing reliance on aid collection by the UN and international organisations,' it said Tuesday. A limited number of local merchants were approved for the plan and will sell basic food products, baby food, fruit and vegetables, and hygiene supplies through bank transfers, COGAT said. Thousands of Palestinians crowded against aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip through the southern Morag corridor on Monday, attempting to get whatever food they could during a protracted food shortage across the enclave. Mohammed Qassas from Khan Younis in southern Gaza said his children are so hungry that he is forced to storm aid trucks. 'I have young children, how am I supposed to feed them? No one has mercy. This resembles the end of the world,' he said. 'If we fight, we get the food. If we don't fight, we don't get anything.' As the trucks drove away, men climbed onto them, scrambling for any remaining scraps. 'The conditions are very challenging and we are hoping for a system to be in place,' Mr Qassas said. 'Some people go home with some 200 kilogrammes (441 pounds), and others go home with only one kilogramme (35 ounces). It is a mafia-like system.' After relentless efforts to get food from the trucks, it has become a routine for men to be seen coming back carrying flour sacks on their back, as well as carrying wounded and dead bodies from near the aid sites. Yusif Abu Mor from Khan Younis said the trucks' aid system is akin to a death trap. 'This aid is stained with humiliation and blood,' he said, adding that aid seekers run the risk of being killed by shootings or run over by aid trucks surrounded by crowds of hungry Palestinians. Israel's blockade and military offensive have made it nearly impossible to deliver aid safely, contributing to the territory's slide towards famine nearly 22 months into the war with Hamas. Aid groups say Israel's week-old measures to allow more aid in are far from sufficient. Families of hostages in Gaza fear starvation affects them too, but blame Hamas. As international alarm has mounted, several countries have airdropped aid over Gaza. The UN and aid groups call such drops costly and dangerous for residents, and say they deliver far less aid than trucks.
ITV News
an hour ago
- ITV News
'The most devastating images': Home secretary reacts to ITV News' aerial footage of Gaza
Speaking to ITV News, the Home Secretary described the images taken by ITV News over Gaza as "the most devastating" Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has described newly released aerial images of Gaza as 'devastating,' saying they underscore the urgent need for a ceasefire, humanitarian aid, and a comprehensive plan to address the deepening crisis in the Middle East. Her comments come after ITV News aired the first independent aerial footage from over Gaza in months, showing the sheer scale of destruction caused by nearly two years of war. Filmed by International Editor Emma Murphy on board a plane delivering aid, the footage captures vast swathes of Gaza reduced to dust, entire neighbourhoods flattened and turned to rubble. Speaking to ITV News on Tuesday, Cooper said: 'Well, those are the most devastating images and to see that scale of destruction across Gaza. "Of course, we have also seen the terrible images of malnutrition among children, and we've seen the really disturbing images of some of the hostages still being held. "So it shows really why it is so urgent that we get the ceasefire, the humanitarian assistance and also a proper plan going forward, as the prime minister has set out, including not just the pathway around recognition, but also a whole series of much wider steps in terms of tackling this crisis in the Middle East.' The aerials show areas like Al-Zahraa City virtually levelled, with one of the only buildings still standing - the Al Wafa Centre for Elderly Care - surrounded by ruins. The centre, which provides free care for elderly Palestinians without families, was hit in November 2023, according to local reports, killing its director, Dr Medhat Muheisen. In March, an Israeli strike demolished the only cancer hospital in Gaza. The Israeli army said it was being used by Hamas operatives, providing no evidence to support the claim. The ariels also depicted a primary and secondary school, surrounded by ruins. There is no public information about what happened to the lives of those who once lived in the area, nor that of the pupils who once filtered through the halls of the school. Since October 7, 2023 - when 1,200 Israelis were killed in Hamas-led attacks - Israel has launched a prolonged military campaign across the Gaza Strip. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since then, according to the territory's health ministry. Alongside the physical devastation, a humanitarian catastrophe continues to unfold. Gaza's Health Ministry claims 87 adults have died from malnutrition since late June, with at least 93 children having died from hunger-related causes since the war began. Israel denies that famine is occurring, but UN experts have warned the territory is facing a 'worst-case scenario.' Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 has reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to convene a high-level security meeting on Tuesday. It's understood that the goal of the session is to finalise strategic options for Gaza, ahead of a broader cabinet meeting later this week. The pressure on Netanyahu's government to reach a ceasefire is growing, especially following the recent release of videos showing visibly emaciated Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. A previous round of negotiations collapsed in July, after US envoy Steve Witkoff accused Hamas of showing 'a lack of desire' to reach a deal. As destruction deepens and the humanitarian crisis worsens, Cooper's remarks reflect increasing international calls for both immediate relief and a viable long-term political solution.
