Afghanistan sees 2.8 million refugees return homeland in 2025: Official

Kabul, Jan 1 Around 2.8 million Afghan refugees have returned to their homeland, Afghanistan, in 2025, according to the country's Ministry of Economy.

"About 2.8 million refugees returned home in a year. The economy has grown, and the hopes have increased for further economic stability in the future," the Radio and Television of Afghanistan (RTA) quoted the ministry's spokesperson, Abdul Rahman Habib, on Wednesday night as saying.

Habib did not give more details on the return of Afghan refugees.

However, Habib noted that the Afghan government would continue to support the private sector, foreign investment and implement major development projects to increase local products as part of an economic strategy to stabilise the national economy, create job opportunities and eventually alleviate poverty, reports Xinhua news agency.

Millions of Afghan refugees had been living in neighbouring Pakistan and Iran in the past more than four decades, escaping war and civil unrest.

Earlier on Wednesday, over 2,000 Afghan refugees were repatriated from Pakistan and Iran in a single day, a Taliban official said.

Sharing the High Commission for Addressing Migrants' Issues report on X, Taliban deputy spokesperson Mullah Hamdullah Fitrat stated that 450 families, comprising 2,254 people, returned to Afghanistan on Tuesday, Pajhwok Afghan News reported.

He said that Afghan refugees returned to Afghanistan through the Spin Boldak crossing in Kandahar, the Bahramcha crossing in Helmand, the Torkham crossing in Nangarhar, the Islam Qala crossing in Herat and Pul-i-Abresham in Nimroz.

He noted that 199 returning families, comprising 1,018 people, were taken to their respective home areas, while 417 families were provided humanitarian assistance.

Mullah Hamdullah Fitrat stated that telecommunication firms provided 390 SIM cards to returning refugees.

As many as 2,827 Afghan migrants were deported from Iran and Pakistan.

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