Forced repatriations and restrictions imposed by the Taliban worsen the earthquake toll

The official death toll from the earthquake in eastern Afghanistan has risen to 800, with over 2,800 injured, while rescue workers struggle to reach remote areas affected by the disaster. The emergency comes on top of the nearly two million refugees forced to return from Pakistan and Iran in recent months. In addition to the lack of infrastructure, the shortage of female doctors, a consequence of the bans imposed by the Taliban after their return to power, is further complicating assistance.

Kabul (AsiaNews/Agencies) - A violent earthquake shook Afghanistan on the night between 31 August and 1 September, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation characterised by the presence of thousands of refugees and a lack of transport and health infrastructure.

According to the Taliban authorities, the provisional death toll, most of whom were sleeping in their homes during the earthquake, is at least 800 dead and over 2,800 injured.

The earthquake struck the country at a time of extreme fragility following the return of Afghan refugees expelled from Pakistan and Iran, the two countries hosting the largest number of refugees since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.

A recent report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reveals that, since the beginning of the year alone, nearly two million Afghans have returned from Iran. Of these, 85% (over 1.6 million people) returned between 20 March and 20 August, and at least 60% were forcibly expelled.

Although the Iranian Interior Minister claims that 70% of the returns are voluntary, the migrants' accounts paint a different picture. Many have reported mistreatment, violence and the confiscation of money by the Iranian police, describing their experiences as ‘humiliation and degrading treatment’.

Back in July, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) launched an appeal calling for an end to forced repatriations, stressing that they were exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. ‘In just over seven months, more than 1.9 million Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan,’ warned Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. From Iran alone, 1.5 million people have arrived since the beginning of the year, 60% of whom have been deported.

Pakistan began its ‘Plan for the Repatriation of Illegal Foreigners’ in October 2023. However, human rights organisations have repeatedly denounced that the repatriations do not only affect those without documents: even refugees with valid papers have been forced to leave the country due to threats from the police.

The Afghan provinces most affected by the earthquake, Kunar and Nangarhar, are located in the eastern part of the country on the border with Pakistan.

Tajikistan has also begun repatriating Afghan refugees in recent months. According to the OHCHR, on 8 July, a number of Afghan citizens, including refugees and asylum seekers, were summoned and informed that they had to leave the country within 15 days.

From October 2024 to July 2025, at least 485 Afghans were expelled, the UN reported. Germany then joined in, repatriating 81 Afghan men, including some asylum seekers, for the first time on 18 July.

The bans imposed by the Taliban over the last four years have further complicated rescue operations. Local sources report that the shortage of female doctors is making it more difficult to assist and treat female victims.

Women are prohibited from secondary education and access to various professions involving contact with the public, including healthcare, while men, according to traditional cultural norms, are not allowed to visit women who are not related to them.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has highlighted that relief efforts are also hampered by a lack of infrastructure. ‘Damaged roads, ongoing aftershocks and the remote location of many villages are severely hampering the distribution of aid,’ the WHO said, noting that at least 12,000 people have been affected by the earthquake.

The fragility of the local health system, already stretched to its limits before the disaster, has made the country totally dependent on external aid.

According to reports gathered by Reuters, rescuers have not yet been able to reach some remote areas of the country. One source reported that the road to Kunar was blocked by a long line of ambulances waiting to reach villages destroyed by the earthquake.