Kabul [Afghanistan], June 29 : Following the end of hostilities between Iran and Israel, the flow of Afghan migrants returning from Iran has significantly intensified. Many returnees have arrived in Afghanistan with "bitter memories, empty hands, and an uncertain future," TOLO News said.
Qamar, a returnee from Iran, said he had lived there for nearly eight years. "We thought life would get better there, but it didn't. Then the war started, and we said, our own country is calm, let's go back."
Another returnee, Khairullah, urged the Islamic Emirate to create jobs and ensure stability. Mohammad, also returning from Iran, said, "If they can't do anything else, at least speak with the Iranian government to ensure migrants are returned with dignity."
Meanwhile, deported Afghan nationals from Pakistan have complained of a lack of food and shelter in a Kabul camp. "If something can be done for our situation, we ask for help. I am disabled, and so are these children. We don't even have land or a tent," said Halima, a returnee.
"Please help us. If possible, provide us with land," said another returnee, Habibullah, TOLO News reported.
At the same time, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation stated that more than 72,000 families from Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey have returned to Afghanistan either forcibly or voluntarily in the first three months of the current solar year.
Ministry spokesperson Abdulmutalib Haqqani said, "In the first quarter of the current solar year, 72,092 families comprising 388,134 individuals have returned from neighboring countries."
Local officials in Herat also reported that nearly 100,000 Afghan migrants crossed into Afghanistan through the Islam Qala border from Iran over just three days, TOLO News added.