Over a million Afghans forced back from Iran to Taliban rule

DW (English)

And international aid groups warn that over a million more Afghans could be forced out of Iran by year's end. One returnee, Shaiq Ahmed, a former pharmacist, says life in Iran, already bitter for Afghan refugees, has grown unbearable after the 12-day Israel-Iran war.

Transcript

00:00This is the first taste of Afghanistan for returnees.

00:04Many arrive from Iran here in this reception camp in Hirad.

00:08They say they left under pressure,

00:10hostility and rising prices making life intolerable.

00:17Those considering their honour and dignity

00:20left Iran by their own choice.

00:24They did not give me half of what my home was worth

00:28and they took all of our belongings from us too,

00:32including a machine of mine.

00:36Now they get new papers to live in their home.

00:40Many of the children here were born in Iran.

00:42While they were away,

00:44Afghanistan became an Islamic Emirate under Taliban rule.

00:48People have to be careful what they say.

00:51The economic situation here is tough.

00:54Shaykh Ahmed used to run a pharmacy,

00:57but five years ago got into financial difficulties

01:00and left for Iran.

01:02He brought his wife and son back last month.

01:05They're staying in his uncle's house for now.

01:08The situation for Afghans in Iran, he says,

01:11suddenly got much worse after Israel's attack in June.

01:16Iranian security forces were always accusing Afghan refugees

01:21of spying for Israel.

01:23They were jailing and deporting them.

01:26We made the decision to leave Iran and return to Afghanistan

01:29before we could be arrested or insulted by the authorities.

01:33The quiet and normality of his life here

01:36is a welcome contrast to the stress of the last period in Iran, he says.

01:41The situation was chaotic for Afghan refugees even before the clash with Israel.

01:50But afterwards they started arresting and mistreating Afghan refugees.

01:56They were conducting raids on their homes and workplaces

01:59and calling on them to leave Iran.

02:02Now he's home.

02:05He's planning to get his family on their feet.

02:09We're living in this home temporarily,

02:12but I plan to find a job and a home for us.

02:15Returnees from Iran come to this camp in Kabul too.

02:19The Taliban official in charge of services here

02:22says up to a thousand people arrive in buses out of Iran each day.

02:26You can see that we've provided transportation and food items

02:34and tents in the camp for all the refugees arriving from Iran.

02:39It's a big support and assistance for all of them.

02:46People arriving here will find Afghanistan's economic crisis remains severe,

02:51with few jobs, rising inflation and limited public services.

02:56So, thank you very much.

02:57Thank you very much.

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