Afghan Migrants Drown as Boat Capsizes in Greek Waters

The decree instructs the Ministry of Interior to apprehend traffickers involved in smuggling young people out of Afghanistan and hand them over to military courts for prosecution.

The six-article directive, issued on 21 December, outlines prison sentences ranging from one to three years for human traffickers. First-time offenders will face one year in prison, with sentences escalating to two years for a second offence and three years for a third.

The Taliban’s leader tasked the Ministry of Interior with spearheading efforts to arrest human traffickers and collaborating with the group’s intelligence directorate to identify and prevent such activities. The intelligence directorate has been directed to coordinate with other government bodies to tackle the root causes of human trafficking.

The decree also calls upon the Ministries of Information and Culture, Communications, Tribal affairs, and Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, as well as religious scholars, to raise public awareness about the dangers and adverse consequences of illegal migration.

This move follows reports of a surge in Afghans seeking to leave the country since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. The International Organisation for Migration previously reported that nearly eight million Afghans emigrated between 2020 and 2024. Of these, one million sought asylum in European nations, while 85% migrated to neighbouring countries.

The Taliban’s crackdown on human trafficking comes amidst growing concerns over the safety and well-being of Afghans resorting to illegal migration due to economic hardship and political instability.

Renovated in 2002 by the Aga Khan Development Network, the hotel played an important role in attracting tourists and catering to foreign officials.

The Taliban took over the management of the Serena Hotel last week, contrary to a previous understanding between the Aga Khan Development Network and the Afghan government, sources said.

The Taliban has not yet commented on the matter. Afghanistan International asked Aga Khan Development Network officials about the current situation at the Serena Hotel, but they said that they did not want to comment on the matter at this time.

After the Taliban's arrival in Kabul, the Serena Hotel continued to welcome senior foreign officials and hosted figures such as Faiz Hameed, the head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and William Burns, the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Built in the centre of Kabul and amidst beautiful gardens, this hotel is known as one of the outstanding reconstruction projects in Afghanistan. The Aga Khan Development Network has announced the construction cost of the hotel at $25 million.

Nader Yar-Ahmadi mentioned East and West Azerbaijan, Zanjan, Sistan and Baluchestan and Mazandaran as no-go zones for immigrants.

Nader Yar-Ahmadi, head of the Centre for Migrant Affairs and an advisor to the Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said that in areas prohibited for immigrants, foreign citizens can only be present for tourism and investment purposes with a suitable visa.

The official added that the presence and employment of Afghan refugees in Mazandaran is prohibited, even for a short time. He acknowledged that Afghan immigrants can only visit the province with tourist visas.

Nader Yar-Ahmadi also warned that some employers in Mazandaran have illegally hired Afghan migrants, which could pose "security risks". He called on employers to refrain from hiring migrants in restricted areas and to cooperate with the police.

Recently, the Islamic Republic has made living conditions extremely difficult for Afghan refugees without residency documents and has also intensified the process of deportation of these migrants.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) confirmed on Friday that the Islamic Republic has deported many Afghan refugees with valid residency documents over the past year. The organisation also announced that Iran has significantly increased the forced return and deportation of migrants in 2024.

Rahimizadeh said, "These statistics show an increase of 50 percent as compared to last year."

According to Iranian media outlets, the director general of Dogharoun Taybad Border Customs, referring to the transit of goods to this border, announced that this year, more than 451,000 tons of goods have been exported from the Dogharoun border to Afghanistan, which represents an increase of 33% compared to last year.

According to him, construction materials, gasoline and liquefied natural gas are among the most important items exported to Afghanistan.

He also announced the transfer of more than 804,985 tons of goods worth $3.31 billion from other countries to Afghanistan through Dogharoun, adding that this figure shows an increase of 150 percent in terms of weight.

Regarding imports from Afghanistan through this border, Rahimizadeh said that since the beginning of this year, more than 11,000 tons of goods worth $14 million have entered the Dogharoun border from Afghanistan. Oilseeds and building stones are among the items imported from Afghanistan to Iran.

The Director General of Dogharoun Border Customs described this border as a "golden gate" for trade and transit of goods and one of the busiest land crossings of the Islamic Republic in the field of goods and passengers.

He added that at least 4,000 people, including drivers, passengers, and employees of various administrative and service sectors, travel through the border daily, and more than one million passengers travel legally between Iran and Afghanistan annually.

The Dogharoun border customs is located 18 kilometres from the city of Taybad and borders Afghanistan.

The countries also expressed concern about the consequences of the Taliban's decision to ban girls from studying in medical institutes, especially mothers and infants – both born and unborn, both boys and girls – and will further destabilise an already fragile healthcare system.

A joint statement issued by the G7 and Afghan representatives on Friday, December 20, said that the Taliban's decision to ban girls' education in medical institutes will have devastating consequences for the country's citizens.

In a joint statement issued after the conclusion of a meeting on Afghanistan in Geneva, the special representatives of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union, stressed that the Taliban's restrictions on women and girls should be lifted immediately.

According to the statement, the meeting, which was held on Monday, December 16, was attended by the deputy of UNAMA, the UN special rapporteur on human rights, representatives of the World Bank and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation as observers.

The joint statement also said that long-term stability in Afghanistan requires a credible and inclusive national dialogue that leads to the formation of an inclusive, constitutionally-based system with responsible political leaders.

Representatives of the G7 and Afghanistan pointed to the ongoing threat of terrorism to Afghanistan's security and stability and reviewed the Taliban's actions to counter terrorist threats from ISIS. They stressed that the Taliban must take action to counter terrorist threats.

"Some terrorist groups are still living safely inside Afghanistan and are capable of planning and executing domestic and cross-border terrorist attacks," the statement said.

According to the statement, the delegates asked the UN Secretary-General to appoint a special envoy for Afghanistan to follow up on the process between Afghan actors and the international community to achieve peace.

They also stressed on the need for governmental and non-governmental humanitarian organisations to work in Afghanistan and the need to continue helping Afghans.