Turkey to Deport Approximately 600 Afghan Refugees Back to Afghanistan

The Turkish Interior Minister announced that Ankara will return about 600 Afghan refugees who have illegally entered the country to Kabul by Sunday, April 8. According to Reuters, Suleyman Soylu stated on Saturday that Afghan migrants have crossed the Iranian border into Turkey due to ongoing 'terrorist activities and economic problems' in Afghanistan, and security forces have handed them over to immigration authorities. He mentioned that a total of 591 illegal Afghan migrants from the eastern province of Erzurum will be flown back to Kabul on charter flights over the weekend. Soylu emphasized that the process of returning illegal migrants from other provinces in Turkey will accelerate in the coming days. While Ankara insists on deporting illegal Afghan migrants, human rights groups argue that this action endangers their lives, as Afghanistan remains embroiled in terrorism and multiple attacks by militant groups targeting civilians. The Hurriyet newspaper reported last week that several thousand Afghan migrants have reached Turkey in recent months, having spent many days traveling to Erzurum. Afghanistan has also been the target of numerous deadly terrorist attacks this year, with around one hundred people killed in central Kabul in January alone, although the Afghan government has promised to intensify security measures. These attacks have led to a decline in the popularity of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who has called for negotiations with the Taliban, but the group has shown little interest in this proposal.