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Over 250,000 Afghan refugees return home from Pakistan and Iran in April
Many refugees who have returned from Pakistan have had to leave mostly everything behind, including houses, businesses and possessions.
More than 250,000 Afghan refugees returned home from neighboring Pakistan and Iran in April, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported late Sunday.
“Among them are women and girls, who face an uncertain future with restrictions on education, jobs and freedom of movement. Any returns must be voluntary, safe and dignified,” the UNHCR said in a post on X.
Nearly seven million Afghan refugees are living outside the country – a large percentage of whom live in Pakistan and Iran.
Last year, the Pakistani government said it would expel as many as three million Afghans this year. Iran have also called on undocumented Afghans living in the country to return home.
However, with the high levels of poverty and unemployment in Afghanistan, the returning refugees are in urgent need of assistance.
Many refugees who have returned from Pakistan have had to leave mostly everything behind, including houses, businesses and possessions.
Transit camps have been set up at the border crossings to accommodate the return refugees, and international organizations, along with the Islamic Emirate, have been striving to ease the return of the refugees as much as possible.
However, funding cuts in humanitarian assistance has had a huge impact on the level of assistance that organizations can provide.
Urgent funding appeal
Last week, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned that an even deeper humanitarian crisis is looming in Afghanistan as tens of thousands of Afghan refugees return from neighbouring countries.
UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch said that the agency urgently needs $71 million to assist those arriving home. Baloch said these refugees face desperate conditions once in the country.
In April, more than 251,000 Afghans returned in adverse circumstances from Iran and Pakistan, including over 96,000 who were deported, Baloch said.
He said the UNHCR continues to advocate with the governments of Iran and Pakistan that returns to Afghanistan must be voluntary, safe and dignified. “Forcing or putting pressure on Afghans to return is unsustainable and could destabilize the region,” he said.
“While UNHCR recognizes the many challenges – including economic pressures – facing these countries that have hosted millions of Afghans for decades, we have also consistently shared our concerns that regardless of their legal status, people forced to return to Afghanistan may encounter serious protection risks,” Baloch said.
Since 2023, more than 3.4 million Afghans have returned or been deported from Iran and Pakistan, including over 1.5 million in 2024 alone.
The UNHCR said such mass returns have strained the capacity of many provinces in Afghanistan and exacerbated the risk of further internal displacement.
The organization also warned that there has been new displacement into Iran and Pakistan, and heightened risks of onward movements towards Europe.
In 2024, Afghans became the largest group (41 percent) of irregular arrivals from the Asia-Pacific region into Europe.
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Pakistan orders undocumented Afghan nationals to leave by July 10
Pakistan has set July 10 as the final deadline for undocumented Afghan nationals to leave the country, with authorities ordered to launch a nationwide crackdown on those who remain without legal status after the deadline expires.
The Ministry of Interior has instructed provincial governments, police chiefs and the Islamabad administration to strictly enforce the directive. From July 10, officials will begin operations targeting Afghan nationals living illegally in Pakistan, while anyone found without valid documentation faces arrest.
Starting July 11, provincial authorities will be required to submit daily reports to the Interior Ministry detailing the number of undocumented Afghans identified, the action taken against them, and their legal or custodial status.
The ministry has described the operation as a top priority and called for its immediate implementation across the country.
The announcement comes amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan over security concerns. Pakistani authorities have repeatedly accused militant groups of using Afghan territory to stage attacks, allegations the Islamic Emirate administration has consistently denied.
Earlier this week, Pakistan said a suspected militant arrested after an attack on a Pakistan Rangers Sindh camp claimed to have entered the country from Afghanistan with three accomplices. In a recorded confession released by authorities, the suspect alleged links between the group and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, as well as support from individuals based in Afghanistan.
The Afghan government has not responded to the latest claims, and the allegations have not been independently verified.
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UNAMA confirms death of 28 civilians following Pakistani airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan
At least 28 civilians were killed and 49 others injured in Pakistani airstrikes on three eastern Afghan provinces late Sunday, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Monday, warning that the toll could rise as hospitals continue treating the wounded.
In a statement, UNAMA said the strikes hit Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces on the evening of June 28. Women and children were among those killed and injured, according to the UN mission.
The deadliest attack took place at around 11:30 p.m. in Chamkani district of Paktia province, where at least 22 civilians were killed and 47 others wounded.
Around the same time, a separate airstrike in Gyan district of neighboring Paktika province killed six civilians. A third strike in Marawara district of Kunar province injured two children.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting confirmed that Pakistani security forces had carried out airstrikes in the three Afghan provinces.
UNAMA said it is continuing to verify the incidents and emphasized that the casualty figures remain preliminary.
“The figures are preliminary and may increase as hospitals continue to treat the injured,” the mission said.
The UN mission renewed its call for all parties to comply with international humanitarian law, stressing the principles of precaution, distinction and proportionality to protect civilians during military operations.
UNAMA also expressed its condolences to the families of those killed and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
Meanwhile, the casualty figures released by the Islamic Emirate are higher. According to the Islamic Emirate, 36 civilians were killed and 163 others injured in the Pakistani military’s recent airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan.
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Afghanistan summons Pakistani diplomat over airspace violations and civilian bombing
Afghanistan strongly protested against the violation of its airspace and the bombing of civilian residential areas, delivering a firm and formal objection to the Pakistani diplomat.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan has summoned the Chargé d’Affaires of the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul in response to overnight airstrikes in the provinces of Kunar, Paktia, and Paktika.
According to the Ministry, Afghanistan strongly protested against the violation of its airspace and the bombing of civilian residential areas, delivering a firm and formal objection to the Pakistani diplomat.
The Ministry described the recent attacks as a clear violation of international principles, humanitarian law, and Afghanistan’s national sovereignty, condemning them in the strongest possible terms.
The statement further noted that Pakistan has, over the past few years, attempted to deflect its internal security and political failures by making baseless accusations against Afghanistan.
It added that such actions not only fail to address existing challenges but also seriously damage bilateral trust, good neighborly relations, and regional stability.
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