Herat Citizens Organize Aid for Deported Afghan Migrants
In response to the mass deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran, a group of residents in Herat has launched a campaign titled “Solidarity and Compassion” to assist returnees at the Islam Qala border. The campaign has drawn support from local traders, social activists, citizens, and young women who have joined forces to provide emergency aid.
Volunteers, traveling in humanitarian convoys, have delivered packages containing drinking water, food, tents, and hygiene supplies to the Islam Qala border, distributing them among newly arrived migrants. On Friday, July 5, more than 300 vehicles were also dispatched to transport migrants free of charge from the border to Herat city.
A group of young women also took part in the aid effort, preparing packages that included essential hygiene items and infant formula for children in need.
According to local sources, these efforts aim to ease the immediate burden on newly deported migrants and address their urgent humanitarian needs.
In addition, members of the Shia community in Herat have announced that they will dedicate their religious offerings for Tasua and Ashura (the mourning days in Muharram) to the migrants at Islam Qala, distributing food among the most vulnerable. It is expected that 6,000 hot meals, prepared in the Haji Abbas neighborhood, will be delivered to the border this morning.
The forced deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran has intensified since June 13 this year. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), on Tuesday, July 2 alone, more than 43,000 Afghan migrants crossed the border from Iran into Afghanistan.
