Latest news with #Herat
The Independent
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Iran every day to escape war and deportation
Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Iran every day to escape deportation and war, a major international aid agency and Taliban official said Friday. Millions of Afghans have called Iran home for decades. But they have been leaving in large numbers since October 2023, when authorities announced a crackdown on foreigners who it said were in the country illegally. Neighboring Pakistan launched a similar campaign around the same time. Iran's war with Israel, which started last Friday, is also forcing them to flee as Israeli strikes target the country. Some 5,000 Afghans are returning daily through the Islam Qala crossing in western Herat province, according to the aid agency World Vision International. There were people 'at risk, distressed, and in great need' among the 500,000 forcibly returned from Iran to Herat this year, the agency said. 'Many require support to find food and shelter, get hold of everyday essentials, and connect with their families before travelling to their hometowns or villages,' said Mark Calder, the agency's communications and advocacy director for Afghanistan. 'But they are returning to a country in which basic services are already in crisis.' Swinging U.S. aid cuts and a shortfall in funding for humanitarian assistance have closed hundreds of health facilities and reduced other essential services like education. The U.N. said Thursday that the Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan had received just 18% of its annual funding by June 19, disrupting the delivery of aid to millions, including women and children, returnees, refugees, displaced communities and other vulnerable and marginalized groups. Calder warned that the number needing lifesaving aid could 'spiral further' if the international community did not look to support emergency needs and Afghans' efforts to start over in their homeland. Ahmadullah Muttaqi, head of Herat's Refugee Information and Public Affairs Committee, on Friday told The Associated Press that before June 13 between 3,500 and 4,000 Afghans without documentation were entering the province daily because of Iran's deportation drive. This figure has doubled since the outbreak of the war. Between 800 and 1,000 Afghans with passports were arriving in Herat every day before the war. This figure is now around 4,000, Muttaqi added.
Associated Press
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Iran every day to escape war and deportation
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Iran every day to escape deportation and war, a major international aid agency and Taliban official said Friday. Millions of Afghans have called Iran home for decades. But they have been leaving in large numbers since October 2023, when authorities announced a crackdown on foreigners who it said were in the country illegally. Neighboring Pakistan launched a similar campaign around the same time. Iran's war with Israel, which started last Friday, is also forcing them to flee as Israeli strikes target the country. Some 5,000 Afghans are returning daily through the Islam Qala crossing in western Herat province, according to the aid agency World Vision International. There were people 'at risk, distressed, and in great need' among the 500,000 forcibly returned from Iran to Herat this year, the agency said. 'Many require support to find food and shelter, get hold of everyday essentials, and connect with their families before travelling to their hometowns or villages,' said Mark Calder, the agency's communications and advocacy director for Afghanistan. 'But they are returning to a country in which basic services are already in crisis.' Swinging U.S. aid cuts and a shortfall in funding for humanitarian assistance have closed hundreds of health facilities and reduced other essential services like education. The U.N. said Thursday that the Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan had received just 18% of its annual funding by June 19, disrupting the delivery of aid to millions, including women and children, returnees, refugees, displaced communities and other vulnerable and marginalized groups. Calder warned that the number needing lifesaving aid could 'spiral further' if the international community did not look to support emergency needs and Afghans' efforts to start over in their homeland. Ahmadullah Muttaqi, head of Herat's Refugee Information and Public Affairs Committee, on Friday told The Associated Press that before June 13 between 3,500 and 4,000 Afghans without documentation were entering the province daily because of Iran's deportation drive. This figure has doubled since the outbreak of the war. Between 800 and 1,000 Afghans with passports were arriving in Herat every day before the war. This figure is now around 4,000, Muttaqi added.
Arab News
a day ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Afghans start fleeing Iran in fear of Israeli bombings
KABUL: Abdulsaboor Seddiqi was in the middle of his mid-term exams at a university in Tehran when Israeli bombardment started to wreak havoc in the city. He decided to leave as soon as classes were suspended, and traveled 1,200 km to cross to Afghanistan. Israeli airstrikes on Iran began last week, when Tel Aviv hit more than a dozen Iranian sites — including key nuclear facilities and the residences of military leaders and scientists — claiming it was aiming to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Daily attacks have been ongoing for the past seven days after Iran retaliated with ballistic missile strikes against Israel. The Israeli military has since been increasingly targeting civilian infrastructure. 'During the last week, we didn't have proper phone and internet connectivity. Power cuts were more frequent,' Seddiqi, a computer science student, told Arab News. 'My family back in Herat was worried for my safety. I decided to leave.' He is one of the thousands of Afghans who are now crossing the border every day. At the Islam Qala crossing alone — part of the main route connecting Herat and Iran's Mashhad — the number of people crossing daily has surged from 1,500 to as high as 8,000. 'The number of Afghans returning from Iran has drastically increased during the last week. The majority of the returnees were individuals prior to the conflict, while a lot of families also returned in the last week,' said Naser Azimi, a health worker at the Islam Qala health center. 'The number of Afghans returning through Islam Qala every day increased to 3,000 and even reached 8,000 people in a day.' Abdulbasit Qazizada, who has been working in Tehran for the past two years, arrived in Herat on Monday. 'There was an unusual rush at the Islam Qala border crossing when I was coming back,' he said. 'There's so much fear and anxiety across all cities of Iran, especially Tehran. Many Afghans also work or live there.' Over decades of armed conflict at home, about 5 million Afghan refugees and migrant workers settled in neighboring Iran, according to official data. Iran is home to the largest Afghan diaspora in the world. Most of them live in Tehran. Some Afghan families have lost contact with their relatives living in the Iranian capital since the outbreak of violence. 'My brother went to Iran a few months ago for work. We heard in the news on Friday that Israel attacked Iran and killed a lot of people,' said Mohammad Naser, a resident of Kabul, whose brother and two cousins were in Tehran. 'It's been a week that we don't know anything about them. My mother and my family members are very concerned. We don't know if they are OK. We feel helpless because we can't do anything.' According to the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, at least 224 people have been killed and 1,481 wounded in Israeli attacks. Various media outlets have reported, however, that casualty numbers could be at least twice as high.
Arab News
13-05-2025
- Business
- Arab News
How Western aid cuts deepen Afghan women's crisis
KABUL: Afghan women entrepreneurs who have carved out spaces of independence for themselves and others, despite sweeping Taliban restrictions, are facing the collapse of their businesses as Western donors abruptly cut the aid they once pledged. The rights of Afghan women have been curtailed since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021. Barred from secondary schools and higher education, restricted in public places and not allowed to take up most of the jobs, women have been turning to private entrepreneurship to empower themselves and others. Aid from Western countries, which have been pressuring the Taliban to uphold women's rights, has been especially vital in sustaining these female-led initiatives. The sudden reduction in funding, which started with massive US aid cuts since January, has already affected Afghan healthcare and essential services and is now taking a toll on the very group the West once vowed to support. 'Women's economic activities have been severely affected by the reduction in international aid. Reduced financial support has led to fewer training and development opportunities, and in some cases international partners that previously provided resources or markets have suspended or ceased their activities,' Behnaz Saljoqi, head of the Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industries in Herat, told Arab News. International humanitarian aid has played a key role in empowering women entrepreneurs by providing not only direct support but also training, networking opportunities, microfinance, access to foreign markets, and sponsorship for exhibitions. 'This support not only helped women acquire technical and managerial skills, but also gain greater confidence to participate in the labor market and society. Without this support, many women would not even consider starting a business,' Saljoqi said. 'If the situation continues or worsens, the working environment for women will become increasingly difficult … The empowerment process that began in previous years will be reversed.' Bahar Anwari, who runs Bahar Canvas Art Gallery in Kabul, is already observing a decline in her business as her usual customers — women — are no longer placing orders. 'With the reduction of development projects, things changed in the country,' she said. 'The purchasing power of people, especially women, has become very low. Employment opportunities became scarce, and most women lost their jobs, and poverty is growing every day. We will have to shut down our workshops and sit at home doing nothing.' For Afghan women entrepreneurs, doing business means not only helping to sustain their own households but also contributing to society and creating opportunities for others like them. International support has played a key role in making it possible. 'Women in Afghanistan largely depend on financial support from family and international organizations. While establishing my company, I also received some funds from a development organization, without which it would have been very difficult to set up the business,' said Parisa Elhami, director of fashion brand Watan Collection. 'Being in business as a woman gave me the strength and confidence to maintain my social standing despite the limitations. Business allowed me to be independent and provide employment opportunities for other women.' The foreign aid cuts, especially from Afghanistan's main donor, the US — which invaded the country in 2001 and spent billions of dollars on two decades of military and development operations — have already disrupted basic services such as healthcare, education, and food distribution. Women, whose social role US humanitarian agencies earlier promoted, face losing their place in society, together with the collapsing businesses. 'The presence of women in economic and social spheres is vital. It not only contributes to economic growth, but also contributes to social justice and the overall progress of society,' Elhami told Arab News. 'The decline in international aid, especially from the US, has forced many women-run companies to close or reduce their staff … If the economic situation and global aid levels continue at the same pace or worse, the future of women's business will be seriously threatened. Many businesses will disappear and women's access to economic, health and educational opportunities will be severely limited.'
