Over 1 mn Afghans migrated in 4 months: Report

Kabul, Feb 6 (SocialNews.XYZ) More than one million Afghans have migrated over the past four months and most of them have crossed border areas into Iran and Pakistana media report claimed

The head of a private transportation industry said that around 4,000 people are heading to Iran on daily basis, TOLO News quoted The New York Times report.

Many of the migrants entering Iran are seeking to cross the borders of Turkey and from there go on to Europe for asylum.

The New York Times said the mass migration has raised alarms in the region as well as Europe about a repeat of the 2015 migrant crisis, when more than a million people, mostly Syrians, sought asylum in Europe.

"Though many are choosing to leave because of the immediate economic crisis, the prospect of long-term Taliban governance -- including restrictions on women and fears of retribution -- has only added to their urgency," the report said.

Refugee rights defenders in Iran expressed concerns over the status of Afghan refugees in Iran.

"The Afghan refugees in Iran are facing various challenges such as lack of access to work and refugee identification cards. A refugee is always at risk of being back deported," Naqibullah Rasikh, a refugee rights activist, told TOLO News.

Meanwhile, the Taliban government has said that efforts were underway to tackle the economic and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

"The statistics of the Islamic Emirate show that between 1,500 to 2,000 people are going to Iran from Afghanistan on a daily basis," said Bilal Karimi, the government's deputy spokesman.

Source: IANS