Iran halts repatriation of illegal Afghan refugees
Tehran Times Political Desk

TEHRAN -- Iran’s Interior Ministry has decided to halt expelling undocumented Afghan refugees until the severe cold weather is over, Interior Ministry Information Office announced here on Sunday.

The announcement seriously rejected reports on repatriation of Afghan refugees in the cold weather, confirming that deporting the illegal Afghans has been temporarily stopped.

Currently the border guards only prevent illegal entry to the country, the announcement added.

According to AFP, the Afghan foreign ministry has summoned the Iran’s acting Ambassador to Kabul Mohayaddin Najafi for the second time in two months, to express “serious concerns” about mass repatriation of Afghan refugees during the freezing months of winter.

Afghan officials called on Tehran to immediately halt the expulsion because they “do not have capacity to accept large groups of refugees, particularly in winter months.”

Iran has been hosting millions of Afghan refugees since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979

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