KABUL: Over 5, 000 Afghan refugees were forcibly repatriated from Pakistan and Iran in a single day, local media reported, quoting a Taliban official on Wednesday.
Sharing a report from the High Commission for Addressing Migrants' Issues on X, Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat stated that 689 families, comprising 5, 496 people, returned to Afghanistan on Tuesday, Pajhwok Afghan News reported.
Afghan refugees returned home through Bahramcha in Helmand, Torkham crossing in Nangarhar, Islam Qala crossing in Herat, Pul-i-Abresham in Nimroz and Spin Boldak in Kandahar.
Fitrat said 856 returning families comprising 4, 800 people were taken to their respective areas, while 563 families were provided humanitarian assistance. In addition, telecommunication firms provided 536 SIM cards to Afghan refugees.