Taliban Announces Ban on Afghan Migration from Country

A Taliban spokesman announced that the group will prevent individuals who wish to leave the country without any “excuse” along with their families from departing.

According to France Press Agency, Zabihullah Mujahid, Taliban spokesman, said on Sunday, March 1st, that “organized departure of Afghan citizens by countries or non-governmental organizations is also prohibited.”

The Taliban spokesman also said regarding the status of women under the new law that following previous restrictions on women’s independent movement in domestic travel, women now need to be accompanied by a male family member or relative for travel outside the country.

Mr. Mujahid cited the goal of the new restrictions as “preventing problems for Afghan citizens abroad” and said this decision was made based on reports of “thousands of Afghans living in very poor conditions outside the country.”

The implementation of these new restrictions will affect the travel of thousands of Afghans, particularly those who had cooperated with foreign forces led by the United States and Western organizations before the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan and had been promised refugee status in other countries.

More than 120,000 Afghans and dual-national citizens left Afghanistan by early September of this year, two weeks after the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul.

Simultaneously with the announcement of the new travel restrictions, Taliban forces continue so-called “cleansing” operations in the capital with “house-to-house searches” and announcing the goal of identifying “weapons, thieves and kidnappers.”

The implementation of these operations has caused concern among citizens who cooperated with the previous government and foreign forces and have not yet found a way to leave Afghanistan.

The new restrictions on legal Afghan migration have significantly increased concerns about people resorting to illegal departure and its fatal consequences for them.

Following the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan from August of this year, the number of Afghan refugees, particularly those attempting to illegally cross the borders of Iran and Turkey to reach Europe, has increased significantly.

The International Organization for Migration in its latest report on Afghanistan’s situation in 2021, released on December 31st, reported the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Afghans and the return of approximately one million of them to their country in the past year.

The United Nations has also previously warned that the situation of the Afghan people is becoming “more dire” and announced that the number of refugees from this country has reached three and a half million.

According to a report by a Norwegian aid group assisting Afghan refugees, in recent months between four to five thousand Afghan refugees have entered Iran daily, and it is predicted that hundreds of thousands more will be added to this number in the coming winter months.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s neighboring countries, which are the primary or final destination for many Afghan refugees, have implemented strict programs for accepting refugees from this country.

The Director General of Foreign Affairs at Iran’s Ministry of Interior announced in early October that Iran’s key policy is not accepting new refugees due to difficult economic conditions.

Turkey’s Interior Minister also announced in late September of this year his country’s decision to extend its security wall along the border with Iran to prevent the entry of Afghan refugees.

Source: Radio Farda