A catastrophic traffic accident in western Afghanistan has resulted in the deaths of 79 individuals, including 17 children, primarily on a bus transporting Afghan migrants deported from Iran. This devastating incident was confirmed by a Taliban interior ministry spokesperson, who relayed details to BBC Pashto.
The bus, which was traveling towards Kabul, caught fire after a collision with a truck and motorcycle late Tuesday night in Herat province. All passengers aboard the bus were killed, along with two occupants from the other vehicles involved, according to Ahmadullah Mottaqi, the Taliban's director of information and culture in the region.
The increase in deportations from Iran of undocumented Afghan migrants has intensified in recent months, with many of these individuals fleeing the conflict and hardships in their home country. Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi, a provincial governor spokesman, noted that the passengers boarded the bus from Islam Qala, a town near the Afghan-Iran border. Herat police attributed the accident to "excessive speed and negligence" by the bus driver, as reported by AFP.
Traffic accidents are sadly common in Afghanistan, where roads have suffered extensive damage from decades of conflict, and driving regulations are often overlooked. Waves of Afghan migration to Iran and Pakistan have occurred since the 1970s, particularly during significant historical events like the Soviet invasion in 1979 and the revival of Taliban rule in 2021.
The mounting deportations have led to rising anti-Afghan sentiment in Iran, where many refugees face systemic discrimination. Earlier this year, Iranian authorities set a deadline for undocumented Afghan migrants to leave voluntarily, but following a brief conflict with Israel in June, Tehran has forcibly returned hundreds of thousands of Afghans, citing national security as the rationale. Critics allege that this is a means for the Iranian government to divert attention from its security failures.
Since January, over 1.5 million Afghans have reportedly left Iran, including many who had established their lives there for generations. Experts raise alarms about Afghanistan's ability to accommodate the influx of returnees, particularly as it grapples with significant challenges posed by the Taliban regime. "The return of so many people is creating an additional strain on already overstretched resources, and this new wave of refugees comes at a time when Afghanistan is beginning to face severe consequences from aid cuts," remarked Arshad Malik, the Save the Children country director in Afghanistan.
