UNHCR: In less than three years, six million people have returned to Afghanistan

At the Torkham border crossing, also known as Zero Point, returning Afghans register beneath Taliban flags. 35-year-old Nazia said she was glad to be in her country, but admitted: she had never been to Afghanistan before, and many around her do not even have enough bread.

UNHCR representative in Afghanistan Charlie Goodlake said that six million people have returned to the country in less than three years. According to him, only this year about another million have already returned from Pakistan and Iran, and almost Nazia’s entire family — her eight sisters and their children — was deported to Afghanistan.

Pakistan and Iran say that it is time for Afghans to return home, citing security concerns and financial burden. After last year’s escalation of fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan, expulsions from Pakistan intensified, and Human Rights Watch said in February that there were home raids, nighttime searches, and arrests without a warrant.

In Iran, mass deportations accelerated after the 12-day war with Israel and the US in June 2025. On Sunday, Pakistan confirmed that 16,000 vulnerable Afghans were given a temporary humanitarian exemption from deportation, and the UN continues to insist that any return must be voluntary, safe, and dignified.

In Kabul, Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said the country needs help, but called the issue of girls’ school education an internal matter for Afghans. The UN estimates that 21.9 million people need assistance this year, and UNICEF said last week that one million children are at risk of life-threatening malnutrition.

Sources

• BBC