At least 22 killed as truck carrying Afghan returnees overturns

At least 22 people have been killed - including children - and 35 others injured after a truck carrying Afghan returnees overturned in eastern Afghanistan, local officials say.

The crash happened early on Saturday in Laghman province, on the main highway linking the capital, Kabul, with the eastern province of Nangarhar.

Abdul Malik Niazai, a spokesman for the Laghman governor, said 35 people were injured, most of them women and children. The wounded were taken to hospitals in neighbouring Nangarhar province.

Taliban officials said those on board were Afghan migrants who had recently returned from Pakistan. They had been temporarily settled in Kunar province and were being transported to Kabul when the truck overturned.

Habibullah Mubarez, the Taliban’s traffic chief in Laghman, said the accident happened at about 05:30 local time.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.

Road accidents are common in Afghanistan, where poor road conditions, overloaded vehicles, reckless driving and weak enforcement of traffic laws often contribute to deadly crashes.

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The incident comes amid a large-scale return of Afghan migrants from neighbouring countries. Pakistan has intensified its crackdown on undocumented Afghans since 2023, deporting or pressuring hundreds of thousands to leave. Iran has also stepped up expulsions of Afghan migrants.

Millions of Afghans have returned from the two countries in recent years, including many who were born abroad and had spent decades living and working there.

Aid agencies have warned that the mass return of migrants is placing growing pressure on Afghanistan’s infrastructure and public services, particularly in eastern provinces that serve as key entry points into the country.

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