Hundreds of Afghan refugees return last week

KABUL during the past one week.

A MoRR statement received by Pajhwok Afghan News said some of the refugees had voluntarily returned and others were forced into leaving the host country.

They returned between April 28 and May 5, with most of the families arriving via Pul-i-Abrisham (Silk Bridge) in southwestern Nimroz.

More than 9,220 Afghan refugees were repatriated from Iran into Nimroz province and more than 7,890 others via Torkham border into eastern Nangarhar province.

The ministry said the returnees avoided coming via Islam Qala border of western Herat province and Spin Boldak border in southern Kandahar province due to some border problems.

Only eight refugees arrived through Islam Qala and 263 through Spin Boldak during the past one week, the statement said.

It said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had donated $200 to each returning families who had refugee documents and $30 to undocumented returnees.

Four days back, Afghan Refugee and Repatriation Minister Sayed Hussain Balkhi told a Wolesi Jirga session that more than 80,000 Afghan refugees returned to their country from Iran and Pakistan between March 21 and May 3. He had said 36,000 of the refugees had been forcibly deported.

mds/ma