Afghanistan Faces Biggest Cross-Border Return Movement, UN Says

According to the BBC, the UN refugee agency said the number of Afghans forced to return from Pakistan and Iran this year has reached another million, as both neighbors intensify crackdowns on undocumented migrants. UNHCR spokesperson Charlie Goodlake said about six million people have come back to Afghanistan in a little under three years, describing it as the largest return movement of its kind in recent history. Pakistan and Iran say Afghans should go home, citing security and financial concerns. Pakistan said 16,000 vulnerable Afghans have been granted a temporary humanitarian exemption from deportation, while sources estimate as many as 250,000 Afghans in Pakistan could face serious harm if returned, including women and girls who would be denied education in Taliban-run Afghanistan. The UN says 21.9 million people in Afghanistan need assistance this year, and UNICEF said last week that one million children faced life-threatening malnutrition.