Tens of thousands of Afghans are pouring across the Islam Qala border crossing into Afghanistan, many facing an uncertain future after being forcibly deported from Iran. Among them is Hajjar Shademani, a 19-year-old who, along with her three siblings, arrived with only a few suitcases, representing the remnants of a lifetime spent in Iran.
Shademani’s family, like many others, had fled war in Afghanistan 40 years ago and she was born and raised in Iran. Yet, she stated that the country “never accepted us.” When police in Shiraz ordered her family to leave, they had no alternative. Now, Afghanistan, a land her parents escaped, is unfamiliar to her. “We don’t have anything here,” she told AFP.
The mass deportations have severely impacted educational aspirations for individuals like Shademani. Despite her love for studying, her hopes of continuing her education are on hold. Iranian universities would not admit her, and the Taliban government has banned education for women, leaving her with no viable path forward.
The Islam Qala checkpoint, typically a busy hub for cross-border activities including smuggling and deportations of young men seeking work, has seen a dramatic surge in returnees, particularly families. This increase follows Tehran’s directive for Afghans without legal residency to leave by July 6. The United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that over 230,000 Afghans departed Iran in June alone.
Since January, more than 690,000 Afghans have left Iran, with “70 percent of whom were forcibly sent back,” according to Avand Azeez Agha, an IOM spokesperson. While none of the returnees interviewed by AFP cited the recent Iran-Israel conflict as their reason for leaving, arrests were a significant factor in their hurried departures.
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