Pakistan and Iran Force 6 Million Afghans Back Since 2021 as 1 Million Return This Year
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 1
Pakistan and Iran Force 6 Million Afghans Back Since 2021 as 1 Million Return This Year
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 1
Summary
1 million Afghans have already been forced back from Pakistan and Iran in 2026, pushing total returns to 6 million since the Taliban retook power in August 2021, the UNHCR said.
Pakistan and Iran say the crackdown targets undocumented migrants on security and economic grounds, but the UN and rights groups say registered Afghans are also being expelled amid harassment, raids and arrests.
Torkham border camps are absorbing families who often have never lived in Afghanistan, arriving with few belongings into 41C heat, scarce shelter and an economy where 21.9 million people already need aid.
Women, girls and former Afghan security personnel face added risks under Taliban rule, while aid cuts and sanctions deepen the strain; Pakistan has granted only 16,000 temporary exemptions despite estimates up to 250,000 remain at serious risk.
Forced back into a society that erased their rights, how will returning Afghan women survive a regime that bans their basic existence?
As borders close and international aid vanishes, what happens when millions of displaced people are trapped in a collapsing country?
With millions returning to a broke nation, could this massive refugee influx secretly fuel the next major wave of global extremism?
Over 5 Million Afghans Forced Home: The 2025–2026 Mass Expulsions and Their Humanitarian and Geopolitical Fallout
Overview
Since late 2023, Afghanistan has faced an unprecedented crisis as millions of Afghans were expelled from Pakistan and Iran, overwhelming the country’s fragile economy and humanitarian systems. The mass returns, driven by policy crackdowns and regional conflicts, led to a sharp decline in GDP per capita, widespread unemployment, and severe shortages in healthcare and food aid. As international assistance collapsed—especially after US aid was suspended—hundreds of clinics closed, and malnutrition soared. With drought worsening water access and the Taliban imposing harsh restrictions on women and girls, many returnees now face poverty, debt, and insecurity, fueling a new wave of migration out of Afghanistan.