UN urges probe into reports of Afghan migrants killed at Iran border

The United Nations' mission in Afghanistan has called for an investigation into reports that a large group of Afghan migrants was shot and killed while attempting to cross into Iran.

In a statement on Thursday, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed "deep concern over disturbing reports of an incident on 14 to 15 October in Sistan province, Sarbaz district, Kala Gan border area of Iran, with allegations that a large group of Afghan migrants were opened fire on, resulting in deaths and injuries."

"(UNAMA) reminds all parties that the rights of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers are safeguarded under international law.”

Afghan media outlets citing witnesses said more than 200 Afghan migrants who entered Iran illegally were attacked on Iranian territory and that dozens had been killed and injured.

Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid announced the dispatch of a high-ranking delegation to investigate the incident. The delegation includes the deputy interior minister for security and representatives from the ministries of defense and intelligence.

The exact details of the incident remain disputed.

Iran-based human rights group Haalvsh reported on Tuesday that Afghan migrants were fired upon by Iranian border forces on Sunday near the Pakistan border, while Baluch Campaign, another rights group, said the migrants encountered a land mine while attempting to cross the area.

Iranian authorities have denied these reports. Iran's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, stated on Wednesday via X: "Following comprehensive inquiries through reliable sources, it has been confirmed that the allegations surrounding the deaths of dozens of illegal immigrants at the Saravan border are baseless."

Amid the furore, Afghanistan's former attorney general, Mohammad Farid Hamidi, condemned the incident, describing it as a crime against humanity.

“These refugees, in search of safety and refuge from life-threatening dangers, braved perilous seas, mountains and deserts,” tweeted on Wednesday.

Hamidi also criticized Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, saying they are unwilling to protect Afghan citizens abroad.

"The irresponsible and illegitimate rulers in Afghanistan have disgraced the country and its citizens at the international level," Hamidi wrote in a post on X, saying the Taliban "neither have the ability nor the capacity to defend the rights of Afghan citizens outside the country."

These developments come as Iran's Parliament introduces a controversial plan to reduce the foreign national population by 10 percent annually, which would impact the approximately 10 million Afghan migrants currently living in Iran.

The proposed law seeks to limit foreign nationals and their families to no more than three percent of the population in any city, village, or province within three months of enforcement. To support this initiative, Iran is deploying border closures and surveillance, including artificial intelligence monitoring.

In addition, Iran has ramped up its deportation efforts, with plans to expel at least two million undocumented migrants by March 2025, according to Ahmad Reza Radan, commander of the country's law enforcement forces.