Afghan returnees transport their belongings across the Pul-e-Abresham border crossing in western Nimroz province, Afghanistan, June 17, 2025. (Photo by SaifurahmanSafi/Xinhua)
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, June 19 (Xinhua) -- As the world is going to mark World Refugee Day on Friday, a growing number of Afghan refugees are being deported from neighboring countries.
Border crossings such as Spin Boldak in southern Kandahar and Pul-e-Abresham in western Nimroz remain in constant motion, witnessing an unrelenting influx of returnees from Pakistan and Iran.
Standing under the blazing sun at the zero point between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Mira Jaan, 45, looks weary and disoriented, his eyes reflecting the toll of displacement. After living in Pakistan for 41 years, he had to return to Afghanistan with his two wives and children.
Having completed the registration process, Jaan told Xinhua at the Spin Boldak crossing, "I don't have a house or farmland back in Zabul, my home province. We are strangers here. We don't know what to do."
Returning with 26 family members, most of them women and children, Jaan is appealing to the authorities not only for housing but also for employment opportunities for himself, his brother and fellow returnees.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), some 500,000 Afghan refugees returned from Pakistan and Iran in April and May alone. The report emphasizes that support is now more critical than ever, as returnees face immense challenges in reconstructing their lives.
The already impoverished country is being pushed to the brink as international aid continues to shrink.
To address the mounting challenges facing returning refugees, the Afghan interim government has established a 12-member commission to deliver essential services, including temporary shelter, food, clean water, medical aid, and transportation.
Meanwhile, the Iran-Afghanistan border crossing has seen a significant uptick in commercial traffic. Officials reported that trade activity has surged in recent weeks, coinciding with an increase in Afghan deportations from Iran, likely tied to heightened regional tensions following recent clashes between Iran and Israel.
Mawlawi Abdullah Reyaz, provincial director of the Refugee and Repatriation Department in Nimroz, noted that the number of returnees from Iran has doubled in just a few days. "Each day, 2,000 to 3,000 individuals and 250 to 300 families are returning from Iran to Nimroz," Reyaz told Xinhua at the Pul-e-Abresham border crossing.
Reyaz expressed sincere gratitude for China's humanitarian assistance. "China has previously provided us with substantial support -- truckloads of food supplies, tents, and more. We are deeply grateful," he said.
Currently, nearly 7 million Afghan refugees, most undocumented, reside abroad, with the majority living in Iran and Pakistan. ■
Afghan returnees transport their belongings across the Pul-e-Abresham border crossing in western Nimroz province, Afghanistan, June 17, 2025. (Photo by SaifurahmanSafi/Xinhua)
Afghan returnees arrive at the Spin Boldak border crossing in southern Kandahar province, Afghanistan, June 15, 2025. (Photo by SaifurahmanSafi/Xinhua)
Afghan returnees carry their belongings across the Pul-e-Abresham border crossing in western Nimroz province, Afghanistan, June 17, 2025. (Photo by SaifurahmanSafi/Xinhua)
