More than 88,000 undocumented Afghan migrants were deported from Iran in a single week, Khaama Press reported, citing International Organisation for Migration (IOM), raising alarm over urgent humanitarian and funding needs.
Between June 18 and June 26, a total of 88,308 undocumented Afghan nationals were forcibly returned from Iran to Afghanistan, according to the IOM’s June 28 update. The organisation stated that only 11 per cent of these returnees received any humanitarian assistance due to critical resource limitations, calling for urgent international funding to meet the basic needs of the most vulnerable.
Families and Children Most Affected Amid Rising Deportations
The report further highlighted that 55 per cent of the returnees during this period were forcibly deported, and 64 per cent were travelling as families-underscoring the disproportionate impact on women and children. This figure marked a steep rise from the previous week, when 32,844 individuals were returned between June 10 and June 17.
WHO Warns of Dire Conditions in Border Areas
Earlier data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) showed that over 71,000 migrants were returned from both Iran and Pakistan between June 1 and June 15, underscoring the scale and continuity of expulsions. Both agencies warned of the dire health and protection challenges that await returnees in overcrowded and under-resourced border areas, Khaama Press reported.
Crackdown Intensifies in Iran and Pakistan
In Iran, the crackdown on undocumented Afghan nationals has intensified. Authorities have issued new orders invalidating all lease agreements with Afghan refugees and warning landlords against offering them shelter. According to Khaama Press, police have reportedly detained Afghan migrants across several provinces, with arrests increasing notably after the recent 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has also resumed strict enforcement against Afghan refugees, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Identity checks, detentions, and deportations have increased, often targeting families with little to no warning or legal recourse. Human rights groups have expressed concern over the ongoing mass arrests and forced returns.
Iran Mourns IRGC Leaders as Conflict Casualties Mount
Thousands of Iranians gathered in Tehran on Saturday to attend the funeral procession of senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to Iranian media, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Their coffins were driven into Tehran’s Azadi Square adorned with their photos and national flags, as crowds waved flags and some reached out to touch the caskets and throw rose petals onto them.
Iran’s President Mansour Pezeshkian and Esmail Qaani, head of the IRGC’s Quds Force, were present at the procession.
“Today, Iranians, through heroic resistance against two regimes armed with nuclear weapons, protected their honor and dignity, and look to the future prouder, more dignified, and more resolute than ever,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who also attended the funeral, said in a Telegram post.
Authorities in Iran stated that 627 people were killed in the country, though the full extent of the damage could not be independently verified due to strict media restrictions. According to Israeli officials, 28 people were killed in Israel during the conflict.
A senior Israeli military official said on Friday that more than 30 senior security officials and 11 senior nuclear scientists were killed in Iran during Israel’s Operation Rising Lion, summarising the 12-day air war with Iran.
The official added that the Israeli Air Force struck over 900 targets and caused significant damage to Iran’s missile production capabilities during the conflict, which ended with a US-brokered ceasefire, The Jerusalem Post reported.
(With Inputs From ANI)
ALSO READ: Israeli Attacks Kill At Least 62 in Gaza as Hopes for Ceasefire Grow
