Kabul, Nov 4: In a massive deportation drive, 16,242 Afghan refugees were forcibly expelled from Iran and Pakistan in a single day, the Taliban’s deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said on Tuesday, according to local media reports.
Fitrat stated that 2,963 Afghan families, comprising 16,243 individuals, returned to Afghanistan from the neighbouring countries on Monday through multiple border crossings, including Islam Qala and Spin Boldak in Kandahar, Herat, Pul-i-Abresham in Nimroz, Bahramcha in Helmand, and the Torkham border point.
He said that 2,161 families, totaling 11,772 individuals, have been sent to their respective provinces, while 1,882 returnees were provided humanitarian aid upon arrival. In addition, telecommunication companies distributed 2,958 SIM cards to the returnees to help them reconnect with family members and access essential services.
The large-scale deportation comes amid growing international concern over the treatment of Afghan refugees in neighbouring countries. Pakistan, in particular, has intensified its crackdown on undocumented migrants, ordering all illegal foreign nationals — the majority of them Afghans — to leave by November 1, 2025.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, Germany is set to receive the fourth group of Afghan refugees approved for relocation under its humanitarian admission programme, according to Khaama Press citing German media sources. The group will travel from Islamabad to Hanover, continuing Germany’s ongoing effort to resettle vulnerable Afghans following the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.
Since the new German coalition government took office in May, three evacuation flights have already arrived in Hanover. Last week, 14 Afghan nationals reached Germany under the same initiative, which aims to protect former local staff, human rights activists, and journalists associated with German and international organisations.
However, reports indicate that Berlin may gradually scale down its voluntary admission programme in the coming months.
