Iran ‌executed an Afghan man on ​Thursday ​over charges related to ⁠January’s ​nationwide protests, ​local media reported.

The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights identified ​the person ​as Qaem Hosseini, ‌a 20-year-old Afghan national.

Iran’s state media said he ​took ​part ⁠in events that ​led to ​the ⁠killing of security ⁠force ​members ​during the protests.

He was accused of taking part in events on January 8, 2026, at Alikhani Square in Isfahan, during which four Iranian security forces were killed.

Hosseini is the fifth defendant in the case to be executed. Four other defendants, including his cousin Gol Mohammad Mohammadi, had previously been executed.

More than 1,000 Afghans who were evacuated to a U.S. military facility in Qatar following the Islamic Emirate’s return to power in 2021 remain in limbo, with no clear path to the United States, NPR reports.

The Afghans have been staying at Camp As Sayliyah after being airlifted out of Afghanistan during the final days of the U.S. war. Some have been there for more than a year while waiting for a decision on their future.

The U.S. State Department told NPR that negotiations are continuing over where the Afghans could be resettled.

“A third country is a positive resolution that provides safety for these remaining people to start a new life outside Afghanistan while upholding the safety and security of the American people,” the U.S. State Department said in an email to NPR.

The situation at the camp has become more difficult amid the war in the Gulf. Sean Jamshidi, a former U.S. Marine, told NPR that missiles were launched during the conflict and debris fell near the camp, including fragments that entered the building where his family members were staying.

U.S. veterans and lawmakers have also called on Washington to protect Afghans who supported American forces. Republican Congressman Don Bacon, a retired brigadier general, said the United States has a “moral obligation” to people who served alongside its troops and that promises made to them should be kept.

There have also been reports that some of the Afghans could be sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Islamic Emirate has said that Afghanistan is the shared homeland of all Afghans, stressing that returnees can come back with “full confidence and peace of mind.”

Abdullah Khan, Director of the Pakistan Institute of Conflict and Security Studies, has called for an open and meaningful national dialogue on Pakistan’s Afghan policy, arguing that the current approach is not weakening the Islamic Emirate but is increasingly pushing ordinary Afghans away from Pakistan.

In a statement, Khan said the people who formulated Pakistan’s current Afghan policy may be highly capable, but the direction and objectives of the policy appear difficult for ordinary citizens to understand.

“If Pakistan’s conflict is with the Taliban (IEA), why are measures being taken that could turn the entire Afghan population against Pakistan?” he questioned.

Khan also questioned proposals for supporting armed groups against the IEA. He said he personally did not support backing armed groups against the IEA, but if Pakistan ever considered such a strategy, an important question would be whether it still had reliable Afghan partners.

He argued that after Pakistan repatriated large numbers of Afghan citizens and continued measures encouraging those remaining in the country to leave, it would be difficult to persuade Afghan groups to trust Pakistan or work with it.

Khan further criticised what he described as Pakistan’s decision to treat the IEA as an enemy on a level comparable to India, calling it a dangerous strategic direction. He warned that such an approach could create space for India to rebuild its influence in Afghanistan and potentially use Afghan territory against Pakistan.

He questioned whether Pakistan could afford to open two fronts simultaneously along its eastern and western borders while already facing a serious terrorism challenge.

According to Khan, terrorism in Pakistan has increased significantly since the adoption of a hardline Afghan policy in October 2023. He also said border closures and other measures had adversely affected Pakistani and Afghan traders.

He called for an immediate national debate on Afghanistan policy to develop a workable strategy capable of addressing Pakistan’s security concerns while protecting its broader national interests.

Khan stressed that Pakistan’s Afghan policy should not be driven by the preferences of one individual or a limited group, but should instead be based on the broader national interest, Pakistan’s security and the lives of its security personnel.