UN Urges All Countries To Cease Deportation of Afghans

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 shook northwest Afghanistan, including Herat, on Saturday.

Nisar Ahmad Elias, Taliban’s spokesperson for the governor of Herat, said that the earthquake on Saturday left "huge human and financial losses" and so far, dozens of wounded have been transferred to the Herat regional hospital.

He added that the earthquake started around 11AM and shook Herat city and the districts of the province. He added that the group is fully prepared to assist those affected by the earthquake.

Earlier, the Iranian Embassy in Kabul declared its readiness to receive and channel international aid to the earthquake victims in Herat, in line with humanitarian cooperation.

The exact number of casualties and damage caused by the earthquake has not yet been published. However, some social media users have published pictures of the Herat Grand Mosque and some residential houses, which show that a part of one of the mosque's minarets has suffered damages and its tiles have fallen.

Pictures published of residential houses show that the brick walls have collapsed and in one of these pictures, a taxi is under the rubble.

On Saturday, several earthquakes shook western Afghanistan, according to the US Geological Survey, the magnitude of the first and largest was 6.3.

According to the report, some of the aftershocks of the earthquake had magnitudes of 5.5, 4.7 and 5.9, the last of which occurred 35 kilometres northwest of Herat city.

The German Geological Centre has announced the first earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2.

Pictures received by Afghanistan International show that the residents of Herat of Afghanistan and Mashhad of Iran [capital of Khorasan Razavi province of Iran which is in the border with Herat] gathered in the streets after the earthquake.

Images show crowds of people who have left their homes and escaped to the streets.

Salimi said that Afghans have invested from 300,000 dollars up to 10 million dollars in Iran.

On Friday, Iranian media outlets citing Hossein Salimi, reported that among foreign investors in Iran, Afghans occupy the first position, followed by Chinese in the second place, and Iraqis in the third place.

Salimi mentioned that while the number of permits granted to foreign investors in Iran has risen, the country is still lagging behind Turkey and the nations in the Persian Gulf.

After the Taliban’s takeover of power in Afghanistan, many Afghan citizens from different social classes have entered Iran.

However, the Iranian government has deported thousands of Afghans to Afghanistan in the past few months, and recently the deportation process has intensified.

Pictures received by Afghanistan International over the past few days indicate that Afghan immigrants are being attacked in some Iranian cities.

According to Iranian officials, nearly five million Afghans live in Iran.

The statement was issued after a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Moscow.

Mirziyoyev arrived in Moscow on October 5. He met Vladimir Putin on Friday.

The joint statement read, "Priority will be given to achieving peace and stability in Afghanistan, which fully supports the security and development interests of Central Asia and its neighbours."

Russia and Uzbekistan, like other countries, do not recognise the Taliban.

Moscow and Tashkent have repeatedly asked the Taliban to fight against terrorists, form an inclusive government, and respect the rights of minorities, and international laws.

In the last two years, ISIS-K launched several rocket attacks on Uzbekistan from Afghanistan soil. Also, in a suicide attack conducted by ISIS, two Russian diplomats were killed on September 5, 2022.

Putin and Mirziyoyev have emphasised that the United Nations should play the main coordinating role in improving the situation in Afghanistan.

The statement also said that Russia and Uzbekistan condemn any discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or religion in any form.

Putin and Mirziyoyev have said that in accordance with international laws and obligations, they will take effective measures to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms and combat racism and racial discrimination.

Respecting ethnic groups and religions as well as preventing the proliferation of extremist ideologies are among the key priorities emphasised by the leaders of Russia and Uzbekistan.

The association said that the representative of the Taliban can spread extremism using diplomatic immunity.

On Friday, October 6, the members of the Association of Diplomats in a letter to the Foreign Ministry of the Netherlands wrote that Mohammad Asif Rahimi, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in The Hague, declared his allegiance to the Taliban regime in Kabul through a public statement.

In this letter, it has been mentioned that while the Taliban regime is not recognised by the Netherlands or any other country in the world, Rahimi's actions contradict international laws and norms.

On October 3, the Afghan embassy in the Netherlands announced that they are "engaging" with the Taliban's foreign ministry in Kabul. The statement had been confirmed by Zia Ahmad Takal, the spokesperson of the Taliban's foreign ministry.

Following the publication of the statement, sources told Afghanistan International that Asif Rahimi, the former ambassador of the Afghan government in the Netherlands, had been in contact with the Taliban for a long time in order to keep his position at the Afghan embassy.

Rahimi also told Afghanistan International in an exclusive interview that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Taliban is responsible for covering the embassy's expenses, but they are yet to fulfil this obligation.

He further added that over the last two years, he has not received any directives, funds, or salary from Kabul.

The Dutch government has not yet reacted to the statement published by the Afghan embassy in The Hague.

Now, the members of the Association of Diplomats in a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands said that the representative of the Taliban in the Netherlands can scrutinise Afghan diaspora living in the country, under the pretext of consular services.

In a neighbourhood of this city, protesters attacked the house of Afghan immigrants with stones and sticks.

Video clips have been posted on social media showing the presence of Iranian riot police to prevent further violence.

Protesters gathered in front of Eqbaliyeh City Council and chanted slogans against Afghan immigrants.

In another video clip from one of the neighbourhoods of Eghbaliyeh city, local youths attack the doors and windows of immigrants' houses with stones and sticks.

Afghan immigrants in this city advised each other not to leave the house, to have enough food, and to lock the doors and windows, in the messages that they send to each other on Telegram and WhatsApp group messages.

Another video clip, whose exact location and time cannot be determined, but has not been seen before, shows an elderly immigrant man sitting on the ground with a piece of bread in his hand, surrounded by several Iranian men. One of them hits this man on the head with his hand and insults him and other Afghans.

Following the rise of the Taliban group in Afghanistan, which was supported by Pakistan and Iran, millions of Afghan citizens were displaced and many of them sought refuge in neighbouring countries, including Pakistan and Iran.

Recently, following the reports of the increase in the presence of Afghans in Iran, the opposition to the presence of immigrants has intensified in the Iranian press and has led to violent reactions against Afghan refugees.

Some Iranian newspapers have repeatedly written articles against the increase in the presence of Afghan immigrants in Iran.

The United Nations and human rights organisations have so far been silent about the situation of Afghan immigrants in Iran.