A new wave of expulsions of Afghans

Some reports from Tehran and a number of Iranian provinces indicate that the country's police force is carrying out a "plan to collect and deport Afghan refugees" in Iran.Iranian and Afghan officials have not yet commented.

Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdullahian said last week at the "National Conference of Iran and Neighbors": "Every day, several thousand Afghans come to the borders and cities of Iran due to the cold and unstable situation in Afghanistan."

Earlier in December last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran was forcing Taliban refugees to return to Afghanistan. According to the publication, between 2,500 and 4,000 Afghans are deported every day by Iranian officials and go to the border town of Zaranj in Nimroz province.

Iran has always claimed to welcome Afghan refugees and provide them with the necessary assistance; Tehran has also recently announced that it has sent aid shipments to neighboring countries in recent weeks.

The Taliban's takeover of Kabul in August, which led to the militant group taking full control of Afghanistan, has exacerbated the crisis in the country; Severe drought and recession have left more than half of the country's population with acute food shortages.

_{Source and Credit: BBC, EN}