Six Million Afghans Face Resettlement Amidst Mass Deportations

Six million individuals, a population comparable to a small country, have returned to Afghanistan in under three years, a repatriation scale described as historically unparalleled by the UN's Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

This mass movement of people, many of whom have not set foot in Afghanistan for decades or were born abroad, has been largely fueled by intensified crackdowns on undocumented migrants in neighboring Pakistan and Iran. The UNHCR noted that the number of forced returns this year alone from these two nations has already reached one million. Concerns have been raised by human rights groups that the security sweeps may extend beyond undocumented individuals to include registered Afghans as well.

Afghanistan itself faces significant economic hurdles, including ongoing international sanctions linked to terrorism and human rights concerns, complicating the integration of such a large returning population. Reports indicate that some returning Afghans, like Nazia, who was deported from Pakistan, express uncertainty about their future and the availability of basic necessities. Iran has reportedly accused Afghan migrants of espionage, particularly in the wake of its conflict with Israel and the U.S. in June 2025, adding another layer of complexity to the humanitarian situation. Pakistan confirmed on Sunday that 16,000 vulnerable Afghans were granted temporary residency on humanitarian grounds.