Iran, Pakistan Expel Nearly 1,000 Afghan Families In One Day
Iran and Pakistan deported nearly 1,000 Afghan refugee families in a single day, the Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency reported on Friday.
Iran and Pakistan deported nearly 1,000 Afghan refugee families in a single day, the Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency reported on Friday.
According to the report, 968 families returned to Afghanistan on the same day including 242 through the Torkham crossing, 580 via Spin Boldak, 31 through Pul-e-Abrisham, and 110 at the Islam Qala border point.
Pakistan and Iran have expelled at least 1.5 million Afghan migrants so far this year. International organisations have repeatedly warned of the severe humanitarian consequences of such large-scale deportations.
Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, earlier cautioned that mass deportations could further destabilise the country, saying the forced return of refugees violates the international principle of non-refoulement.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than four million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan since September 2023, many facing dire living conditions and limited access to basic services upon arrival.
Senior US officials have denied reports that American forces have returned to Afghanistan or are preparing to take control of Bagram Air Base.
Two sources in Washington told Afghanistan International they “strongly reject” the rumours, insisting that no US troops are present in Afghanistan. A senior Pentagon official said that there are no American forces in Afghanistan.
The rumours intensified after internet and telecom services were cut across Afghanistan last week. Social media posts suggested the Taliban had ordered residents near Bagram to vacate the area and were preparing to hand over the facility north of Kabul to the United States.
Some activists also claimed prisoners had been removed from Bagram airfield, fuelling speculation of a pending US return. The claims followed remarks by former US President Donald Trump, who said he was in talks with the Taliban to reclaim the base and warned “bad things” would happen if it was not returned.
American officials consider Bagram strategically important for countering China’s regional influence and combating Islamic State militants. The Taliban, however, has rejected any notion of ceding control. Its army chief declared that not one inch of Afghanistan’s soil would be handed to the US.
Despite this, Foreign Policy magazine recently suggested a potential agreement over Bagram cannot be ruled out. It noted that a US return could be negotiated directly with the Taliban, facilitated through third countries such as Qatar, the UAE or Uzbekistan, or managed by a joint military-civilian consortium.
Two Taliban representatives forcibly entered the Afghan Consulate in Bonn on Friday, 3 October, without coordination with the German government, sources told Afghanistan International.
The envoys reportedly broke the lock on the gate and unilaterally took control of the building. Their entry came on a public holiday in Germany, when no officials from the Foreign Ministry were present.
The move followed the collective resignation of the head and staff of the Bonn consulate, who had closed the mission in protest against Berlin’s acceptance of Taliban-appointed diplomats. In a statement, they said the decision was a rejection of Germany’s handover of the consulate to the group.
Sources identified one of the Taliban diplomats as Mustafa Hashimi. They said Asif Abdullah, a diplomat at the Afghan Embassy in Berlin, also entered the Bonn mission with four others.
Germany recently accepted two Taliban envoys in exchange for cooperation on deporting Afghan refugees. Berlin has also announced regular deportation flights to Afghanistan and plans to send a delegation to Kabul for talks on the issue.
Former acting consul general Hamid Nangialay Kabiri confirmed his resignation in a video message, saying the consulate had preserved its “independence” since the Taliban takeover and had refused to hand citizens’ documents to what he called the “illegitimate Taliban group.” He added that all consulate documents and assets would be transferred to the German Foreign Ministry.
A video obtained by Afghanistan International showed German police present as the gate was opened.
The German Foreign Ministry has yet to comment on the Taliban’s entry or the status of the Afghan consulate in Bonn.
The European Parliament will convene on Tuesday, 7 October, to debate the crisis in Afghanistan, with a focus on supporting women and addressing the aftermath of recent deadly earthquakes in the country’s east.
In a statement, the parliament said the session will be held with the participation of the European Commission and the Council of the European Union. A resolution on Afghanistan is scheduled for a vote the following day.
Lawmakers are expected to explore ways to strengthen humanitarian assistance and support vulnerable groups, particularly women, amid the Taliban’s tightening restrictions.
The recent earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, especially in Kunar province, caused widespread destruction and casualties. Taliban authorities said at least 2,200 people were killed.
The parliament noted that the Taliban administration, formally recognised only by Russia, has appealed for urgent international aid. However, its restrictive policies, particularly severe limitations on women and on ethnic and religious minorities, have blocked broader international recognition even after four years in power.
“These policies have also contributed to a significant reduction in international donor support, exacerbating the humanitarian challenges facing the country,” the statement said.
International organisations have warned that aid remains insufficient with winter approaching, citing Taliban bans on female aid workers and recurring internet shutdowns as major barriers to relief operations.
The debate on Afghan women comes as Taliban policies have increasingly excluded them from public life, education and employment.
The International Crisis Group warned in a new report that the Taliban’s leadership in Kandahar has deepened Afghanistan’s isolation and worsened widespread poverty.
The report, released Thursday, 2 October 2025, said the Taliban have failed to manage the country’s economic collapse, while poverty and deprivation are worsening. The reduction in international assistance and the withdrawal of aid organisations have placed a heavy burden on vulnerable Afghans, particularly women and girls.
The Crisis Group stressed that unless the Taliban show flexibility on issues such as women’s rights, the country’s economy will continue to deteriorate. It noted that even some pragmatic Taliban leaders privately acknowledge that Afghanistan cannot progress as long as religious authorities block education for women and girls.
The report also cited concerns about aid diversion, saying Western governments suspect some aid recipients of being aligned with the Taliban. Donors have privately accused UN staff and NGOs of acting as “Taliban sympathisers.”
The organisation highlighted the lack of transparency in the Taliban’s budget, noting that religious scholars in Kandahar are reviewing all laws and regulations inherited from previous governments to align them with Islamic principles. This process, it said, has hindered officials in Kabul from drafting economic programmes.
The concentration of power in the hands of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada in Kandahar, coupled with limited decision-making authority for officials in Kabul, has intensified the lack of transparency, the report said.
An Afghan investor cited in the report said he was offered a lucrative mining contract but refused to invest due to uncertainty and lack of transparency, closing his offices in Kabul and several provinces.
The Crisis Group said donors view the absence of transparency and accountability as a major barrier to cooperation with the Taliban, but Taliban officials often treat foreign calls for reform with disdain.
It added that in late 2024, the Taliban considered expelling all foreign NGOs and questioned the role of the UN mission in Afghanistan following critical reports.
The organisation concluded that Afghanistan risks becoming increasingly isolated, with the roots of the crisis tied to the Taliban’s Kandahar-based leadership, which favours reducing engagement with the outside world rather than expanding it.
Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education has ordered that university professors who fail to comply with the group’s dress and beard requirements be denied academic promotion, according to a document obtained by Afghanistan International.
The directive states that promotion files for academics whose “appearance and conduct are not in line with Sharia” must be suspended. The decision was approved by the ministry’s leadership council, which instructed university heads not to submit promotion dossiers until they confirmed staff compliance with Taliban standards.
The Taliban have introduced strict codes of dress and behaviour for professors and students since the start of the new academic year. Male staff and students are required to wear traditional Afghan clothing, cover their heads with a cap or turban, and keep their beards untrimmed.
The rules are also enforced in boys’ schools, where students who do not comply are barred from classrooms.
Since taking power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed sweeping changes on Afghanistan’s higher education system. Women have been banned from universities, curricula have been altered to emphasise religious studies, and hundreds of academics have fled abroad. Universities are now under strict social and religious control.