Afghanistan’s Commission for Addressing Refugee Problems says 125 families comprising 595 people returned to the country through four border crossings in the latest reported movement of returnees. Pajhwok Afghan News reported the figures on Sunday and attributed them to the commission, while a separate report by 8AM Media also cited deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat on the same total.
According to the commission’s figures carried by Pajhwok, 50 families comprising 259 people entered through Torkham. The commission said transportation assistance worth 305,170 afghanis was paid for families moved from the crossing to different provinces. Fourteen families comprising 71 people returned through Spin Boldak, where the authorities also reported cash and transport support.
The largest group in the day’s figures came through Pul-e-Abrisham, where the commission reported 58 families comprising 253 people. Three families comprising 12 people were reported to have entered through Islam Qala. The commission also said 15 families comprising 70 people were transferred onward from Kabul to different provinces and received cash assistance.
These are Afghan authorities’ administrative figures for one reported day, not a longer-term total of Afghans returning from neighbouring countries. Return circumstances can differ by border point and country of departure.
Pajhwok reported that the returnees received services including registration, transportation, financial support, health assistance and food support. The published figures do not provide a full household-by-household breakdown of vulnerability, legal status or reasons for return and do not support assigning a single cause to the entire group.
The development is significant because Afghanistan continues to absorb large numbers of returnees while provincial and national institutions face pressure to provide temporary accommodation, transport, documentation, healthcare and pathways to livelihoods. The capacity of host communities also varies widely, especially where families return to provinces already affected by unemployment, drought, displacement or limited public services.
A separate 8AM report described the 125 families as having been forcibly returned from neighbouring countries, citing the deputy government spokesman. The commission’s breakdown published by Pajhwok focuses on entries and assistance rather than the legal circumstances of every family, while the separate 8AM report uses a broader forced-return description.
The figures also show the importance of Afghanistan’s four major return corridors. Torkham and Spin Boldak connect Afghanistan with Pakistan, while Islam Qala and Pul-e-Abrisham serve major routes from Iran. Changes in immigration enforcement, border policies, economic conditions and regional security can quickly alter the volume of people arriving through these crossings.
The current verified administrative figure remains 125 families and 595 people across the four named crossings.