The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in a statement issued late on Friday vowed a thorough probe into an incident in which three Afghan nationals were killed after their vehicle was shot by Iranian police in Yazd province in the center of Iran.
Four others were wounded in the incident and some of them are missing, according to initial reports, the MoFA said in the statement.
The statement says that Ahmad Tarahumi Bahabadi, the deputy governor of Yazd, has confirmed that Iranian police have opened fire on the vehicle carrying Afghan migrants who did not stop after they were asked by the police.
The bullet hit the tire of the vehicle and it lost its control, hit the guardrail and caught fire, according to the statement.
The statement added that a delegation of Afghan officials is in Yazd province to probe the incident and find the identity of the victims and the wounded.
The incident was condemned by Afghan activists on social media as they started a hashtag trend of “bring me water I am burning.” The Afghan activists called for a thorough probe into the incident.
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission said an investigation has started into the incident.
“Our colleagues have started an investigation into the incident, and we hope that we can make a report on the victims of the incident and their identity,” said Zabihullah Farhang, head of media office of the commission.
This comes after the border incident in which a group of Afghan migrants was killed after they were forced by Iranian border forces to cross a river, according to officials. The Afghan government assigned a probe team to investigate the incident, but the investigation ended without any result.
“I am so upset that they (government officials) are not aware of the Afghan citizens,” said Sattar Husaini, an MP.
“Burning the vehicle of the Afghan refugees by Iranian police is a ‘crime’ and a horrific act and it is against humanity and international laws,” said Habib-Ur-Rahman Pedram, an Afghan MP.
