Up to 40,000 Afghan migrants are being deported daily from Iran, a senior Islamic Emirate official said on Tuesday, amid a sharp rise in forced returns through key border crossings.
Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs and head of the High Commission for Addressing Refugee Affairs, told a press conference in Kabul that around 30,000 Afghans are crossing back through the Islam Qala border in Herat, while 10,000 more return via the Milak border in Nimroz province each day.
Over the past month, more than 500,000 Afghans have returned from Iran, Hanafi said.
He added that the Islamic Emirate is actively working to support the returnees, offering cash assistance of 2,000 Afghanis per person, free transportation, and basic services at the border.
Deputy PM Hanafi also announced that land would be leased at subsidized rates to help returnees settle and earn a livelihood. He said 35 planned residential areas across 25 provinces have been designated for their permanent resettlement, covering a total of 140,000 jeribs (about 28,000 hectares) of land.
Eligible families could receive up to 15 bushels of land (approximately 0.3 hectares) based on family size.
The official further noted that Afghans repatriating with capital from abroad would be exempt from taxes for five years, granted free land in industrial parks, allowed to import up to two vehicles duty-free, and be eligible for two-year work visas for foreign employees.
The wave of forced returns from Iran comes as deportations from Pakistan continue as well, raising humanitarian concerns.
