Herat [Afghanistan], July 11 : Government officials have established facilities at the Islam Qala border crossing in Herat to help manage the increasing influx of Afghan returnees from Iran, with nearly half a million people having re-entered the country in just the past 20 days, TOLO News reported.
The Deputy Spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, Hamdullah Fitrat, visited Islam Qala and urged both the private sector and general public to assist with humanitarian support. "My call to all citizens, traders, and wealthy individuals is to come forward and join the Islamic Emirate in showing solidarity and compassion with these people," TOLO News quoted Fitrat as saying.
According to local officials in Herat, an estimated 30,000 people are entering Afghanistan daily through the Islam Qala border. Abdul Ghani Kamil, the head of committees at Islam Qala and district governor of Kohsan, said: "Based on what we have seen over the past 15 to 20 days, nearly 500,000 migrants have likely returned, as around 30,000 people enter the country every day," TOLO News reported.
Many of the returnees cited the harsh living conditions in Iran as their reason for returning and called on the caretaker government to provide employment opportunities. "We no longer intend to go to foreign countries. Even if we eat only a piece of bread, we want to live in our own country with dignity and honor," said Ahmad Zia, a returnee from Iran, in comments to TOLO News.
Another returnee, Matiullah, echoed similar sentiments. "If these youth are provided with jobs, none of them will leave the country. They will work in their homeland and stay where they belong," TOLO News quoted him as saying.
According to TOLO News, local officials in Herat reported that between 20,000 to 25,000 migrants return daily through Islam Qala alone.
National figures also show that more than 4,000 Afghan migrants are returning daily through other major border points, including the Silk Bridge in Nimroz, Spin Boldak in Kandahar, and Torkham in Nangarhar, from both Iran and Pakistan.