Afghans – (Web Desk) – About 270,000 Afghans have returned to their country from Pakistan and Iran this year, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The agency warned that the growing conflict in the Middle East may force even more people to go back to Afghanistan.
The UN refugee agency said around 110,000 Afghans came back from Iran. Nearly 160,000 returned from Pakistan since the start of 2026.
Officials say the number of returns started rising after tensions in the Middle East increased on February 28. The United States and Israel carried out strikes on Iran. Iran later responded with drone and missile attacks on Israeli and US related targets in the region.
Since that time, about 1,700 Afghans have been crossing from Iran into Afghanistan every day. Arafat Jamal, the UN refugee agency’s representative in Afghanistan, shared this update with reporters in Geneva.
Jamal said he was speaking from Islam Qala, an important border crossing between Afghanistan and Iran. He said the area appears calm, but many people arriving there are worried about the future.
He explained that the return process is orderly, but families feel tense and unsure about what lies ahead. With the conflict in the region growing, he fears many more people may return in the coming weeks.
Jamal also said Afghanistan is already feeling the effects of the tensions connected to Iran. At the same time, clashes have taken place along the Afghan border with Pakistan.
He warned that the new conflict in the Middle East is adding pressure to a country that is already facing serious problems on another border.
The UN refugee agency also noted that returns to Afghanistan have already been very high in recent years. More than five million Afghans have gone back from nearby countries over the past two years. Last year alone, about 1.9 million people returned from Iran.
Jamal said many Afghan families are now going through repeated displacement. Many first left Afghanistan, then faced trouble again while living in Iran, and are now returning once more to Afghanistan.
He said that when these families return, they often face hardship and uncertainty as they try to rebuild their lives.
Meanwhile, returns from Pakistan have slowed in recent weeks. Jamal said the main border crossing at Torkham has remained closed because of tensions in the area.
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However, he warned that the number of people returning could rise quickly if the border opens again.
The UN refugee agency and the UN children’s agency UNICEF said they are trying to increase their support at border areas and inside Afghanistan.
But they also warned that the large number of returning families and limited funding could make the situation more difficult if arrivals increase.
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