Three Afghan migrants freeze to death near Iran border

Three Afghan migrants have died from exposure while attempting to cross illegally into Iran amid freezing temperatures in Afghanistan’s western province of Herat, an Afghan army official said on Saturday.

The victims were part of a group that tried to cross the Iran–Afghanistan border earlier this week but was stopped by Afghan border forces. “Three people who wanted to illegally cross the border died due to the severe cold,” the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He added that the body of a shepherd was also discovered in the mountainous Kohsan district, apparently after succumbing to the extreme weather. Search operations were carried out on Wednesday night, but the bodies were recovered the following day.

The incident comes as Afghanistan faces a sharp rise in returnees from neighboring countries. According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), more than 1.8 million Afghans were forced to return from Iran between January and the end of November 2025, with most cases described as “forced and coerced returns.”

UNHCR has warned that the large-scale returns, often carried out under harsh conditions, are placing enormous strain on Afghanistan’s already fragile services and resources, increasing the risk of renewed displacement, including further migration back to Iran and Pakistan.

Amnesty International this week urged countries to halt forced returns to Afghanistan, citing a “real risk of serious harm” to those sent back.

Afghanistan is grappling with overlapping crises, including the aftermath of two major earthquakes in recent months, heightened vulnerability to climate change, and ongoing international sanctions.

The United Nations has condemned restrictions on women and girls—excluding them from many jobs and public spaces—as “gender apartheid.”

Meanwhile, the UN World Food Programme says more than 17 million people across the country are currently facing acute food insecurity.