Six Million Forced Back to Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan as Regional Crackdown Escalates

TORKHAM BORDER — Hundreds of thousands of Afghan families, many having spent decades in exile, are being forced back across the border into a country facing severe economic hardship and strict Taliban governance. Neighboring governments in Islamabad and Tehran have intensified security sweeps against undocumented migrants, sparking one of the largest cross-border population shifts in recent history.

According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), nearly six million people have returned to Afghanistan over the past three years—a number equivalent to the entire population of a small European nation. In 2026 alone, more than one million individuals were deported or coerced into returning from Pakistan and Iran.

Strangers in Their Own Homeland

At the Torkham border crossing linking Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to eastern Afghanistan, convoys of overloaded trucks arrive daily carrying families alongside their household possessions. Many of those being sent back were born in refugee settlements across the border and have never set foot on Afghan soil.

"It feels good to be in my own country, but I've never been to Afghanistan before and many people here don't even have enough bread to eat," said Nazia, a 35-year-old mother who arrived with her children after her entire extended family was deported from Pakistan.

Aid workers report that the sweep extends beyond undocumented residents. Rights organisations note that individuals holding official Proof of Registration (PoR) cards issued by Pakistani authorities are increasingly being caught up in police roundups and pushed across the border.

Humanitarian Crisis at "Zero Point"

At the border's registration hubs, designated as "Zero Point," aid agencies have erected temporary tarpaulin and plastic shelters to accommodate incoming families. The facilities, however, are stretched thin. Returnees arrive into an economy grappling with widespread poverty, limited employment opportunities, and reduced international aid allocations.

"In a little under three years, we've seen six million people come back to Afghanistan," said Charlie Goodlake, a spokesperson for the UNHCR in Afghanistan. "Many have nowhere to go and no means to rebuild their lives."

For older refugees who originally fled during the 1979 Soviet invasion, returning after four decades presents a stark reality. While some express relief at escaping police harassment abroad, the lack of shelter, food security, and basic public infrastructure in rural provinces leaves thousands vulnerable.

Security Concerns and Diplomatic Isolation

The mass deportations coincide with heightened regional political tension. In Iran, human rights groups report that authorities have intensified crackdowns on Afghan migrants following recent geopolitical friction, accusing undocumented individuals of security risks.

Meanwhile, former government workers, military personnel, and security guards who fled the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 express fear over their safety upon return. Despite official amnesties declared by the Taliban administration, returning security personnel remain hesitant to leave temporary safe houses or reveal their identities.

The influx of millions of deportees places additional pressure on Kabul's interim administration, which remains largely isolated internationally. Five years after taking control, the Taliban government faces stringent international sanctions, with formal diplomatic recognition withheld by nearly all foreign governments.

With border enforcement continuing unabated in both Iran and Pakistan, humanitarian organisations warn that without immediate international intervention and emergency funding, Afghanistan risks a deepening humanitarian emergency as winter approaches.