According to the Taliban-run Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR), more than 2,000 Afghan refugees have returned to their homeland from Iran, according to Afghan news outlet Khaama Press. At least 534 Afghan refugees visited Afghanistan through Islam Qala in Western Herat province, according to the Taliban-led Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR). It further said that at least 288 of the 2000 returnees were introduced to the International Office for Migration (IOM) to receive basic necessary aid. The number of Afghan refugees returning to Afghanistan from Iran has increased in recent months at a never-before-seen rate due to multiple reasons, Khaama Press reported. Earlier, Taliban’s head of the refugee department of Nimruz Mawlavi Abdullah Reyaz said that over 65,000 migrants have travelled back to Afghanistan through the Pul-e-Abresham crossing point over the past month, according to Khaama Press report.
Meanwhile, the Taliban-led Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said that more than 527,000 Afghan refugees had returned to Afghanistan in 2022. It further said that Afghans either left Iran voluntarily or forcibly. However, the UNHCR said that an ongoing return of Afghan refugees from neighbouring nations is closely related to the rising inflation and lack of economic possibilities in the host countries.
Earlier on May 5, as many as 2,106 Afghan refugees returned to Afghanistan from Iran through Islam Qala border in western Herat province, Afghanistan-based Khaama Press reported citing Taliban-led Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation. The Refugee and Repatriation Ministry stated in a series of tweets that these migrants arrived back in Afghanistan on June 3, according to Khaama Press. At least 193 returnees were transferred to the International Office for Migration (IOM) for basic assistance, according to Taliban officials.