Almost 154,000 Afghan refugees return home from neighboring countries in past two weeks

The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation of Afghanistan on Tuesday told Ariana News that almost 154,000 Afghan refugees have returned to the country from Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey over the past 15 days.

Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, spokesperson for the ministry, said that during the past two weeks, 26,044 families, totaling 136,169 individuals, have returned voluntarily or through forced deportation from neighboring countries.

According to Haqqani, 24,787 families returned from Pakistan; 1,251 families from Iran; and six families from Turkey. In addition, 16,603 single individuals were deported from these countries, while 1,132 Afghans were released from prisons in Pakistan. With these figures included, the total number of returnees over the past 15 days totals 153,931 people.

Haqqani added that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has provided initial assistance to returnees, including food, water, clothing, healthcare services, free SIM cards, cash aid, and transportation to help them resettle.

UN puts returnees at 4.3 million since 2023

Indrika Ratwatte, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, said during a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi on Sunday that over 4.5 million Afghan refugees have returned to the country since 2023.

Ratwatte noted that managing such a large influx of returnees would pose a major challenge for any country, but the Islamic Emirate has effectively handled the process, ensuring essential services and support for those coming back.

A report by the Mixed Migration Center (MMC) for the third quarter of 2025 meanwhile stated that Afghan returns from Iran and Pakistan continued to rise between 3 July and 24 September.

Returns meanwhile from Iran peaked in early July, with 43,000 recorded on 1 July alone. The surge followed regional instability linked to the June conflict with Israel and Iran’s late May announcement requiring all undocumented Afghans to leave the country by 6 July.

Although daily return figures declined later in the quarter, more than 2.1 million Afghans have returned from Iran in 2025.

Iran’s Interior Minister, Eskandar Momeni, announced on 17 August that the government intends to deport two million Afghans by March 2026.

In Pakistan, authorities announced on 31 July that Afghans holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards would be subject to deportation under the “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.”

Over 1.3 million Afghans hold PoR cards, many of whom have lived in Pakistan for decades.

On 25 September, the Pakistan government announced plans to close 16 Afghan refugee camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Punjab, affecting over 90,000 refugees. Many of these camps, established during the 1980s Soviet invasion, have become long-term settlements for multiple generations.

Turkey takes action

In addition to the repatriation measures undertaken by Pakistan and Iran, Turkey has also intensified its actions against Afghan migrants in the country.

In the latest round of operations targeting undocumented Afghan refugees, police in Sakarya province detained 24 Afghan citizens who had entered Turkey illegally in a truck.

Authorities reported that the truck driver was also arrested on human trafficking charges and referred to judicial authorities for further investigation. The detained individuals were transferred to a special immigration detention center on Saturday, November 7.

This development came just a day after Turkish police apprehended another group of Afghan nationals in the cities of Sakarya and Karadeniz.

According to the Turkish Interior Ministry, more than 30,000 Afghan refugees have been identified and detained across various cities in Turkey since the beginning of this year.