In brief
Over 1.4 million Afghans have been deported from Iran, creating a humanitarian crisis as returnees face poverty and restrictions in Afghanistan. Many question their future in a land they scarcely know.
Afghans returning home from Iran are facing dire circumstances as deportations surge. Nearly 20,000 Afghans cross daily at the Islam Qala border, compelled to leave Iran due to increasing government crackdowns and rising xenophobia. More than 1.4 million Afghans have been forced out since January, adding to Afghanistan's existing humanitarian crisis worsened by severe restrictions on women and girls. Upon arrival, many are placed in overcrowded processing facilities, where frustration and confusion reign. "I worked in Iran for 42 years, so hard that my knees are broken, and for what?" expressed one returnee, Mohammad Akhundzada, highlighting the despair and challenges of re-integrating into a homeland fraught with economic hardship.
