Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs met with senior migration officials in Kabul to address the escalating return of Afghan refugees from neighbouring countries, amid Pakistan’s deadline for registered refugees to leave by the end of August.
Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi met with Mohammed Abdiker, Chief of Staff at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to explore ways of expanding humanitarian cooperation and improving assistance for returnees.
According to the Afghan government’s media office, both sides emphasised the importance of long-term coordination and international support to manage the growing influx of returnees and the strain on local infrastructure.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported that 2.1 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan since 1 January 2025, with more than 1.4 million returning from Iran and over 303,000 from Pakistan between April and the end of July.
UNHCR stated that many Afghan returnees from Iran reported discrimination, harassment and unpaid wages, raising concerns about reintegration and protection upon return.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has given registered Afghan refugees until 31 August to leave the country. According to UNHCR, around 1.5 million Afghan refugees are currently registered in Pakistan under the Proof of Registration (PoR) scheme. Their registration cards expired at the end of June 2025, leaving them at risk of deportation.
The IOM has not released a statement following the meeting, but it has previously highlighted the urgent need for sustainable reintegration programmes and increased funding for Afghanistan’s humanitarian response.
Aid organisations have warned that the rapid increase in returns is placing additional pressure on already fragile public services. According to UN data, more than 23 million people in Afghanistan are in need of humanitarian assistance in 2025.
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Global oil prices continue to rise, currently surpassing $119 a barrel this Monday, an almost four year high following fresh U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting oil depots. Stock markets shares slumped on fears the conflict with Iran could disrupt shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Iranian civilian and military officials have pledged their obedience to the new leader, Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei, with President Masoud Pezeshkian saying his leadership “will herald a new era of dignity and authority for the Iranian nation.”.
Almost 2,000 people have been evacuated from Iran via Azerbaijan since conflict erupted in the Middle East.
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
Global oil prices continue to rise, currently surpassing $119 a barrel this Monday, an almost four year high following fresh U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting oil depots. Stock markets shares slumped on fears the conflict with Iran could disrupt shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Entry and exit across the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran for all types of cargo vehicles, including those in transit, will resume on 9 March, according to a statement by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.
U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone on Sunday as tensions between Washington and Westminster deepened over the conflict involving Iran. The call came less than a day after Trump criticised Britain’s response to U.S. strikes on Iranian targets.
Norwegian police are searching for a suspect after an explosion at the U.S. embassy in Oslo on 8 March caused minor damage but no injuries, in what authorities say may have been a deliberate attack linked to the Middle East crisis.
An explosion damaged a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège early on Monday (9 March) in what authorities said was an antisemitic attack that caused damage but no injuries.
The Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss a global rise in oil prices and a joint release of oil from emergency reserves coordinated by the International Energy Agency, the Financial Times reports.
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