TEHRAN The Director General of the Foreign Nationals and Immigrants Department of Khorasan Province said that the provincial Law Enforcement Forces arrested some 305 Afghan nationals who had illegally entered Mashhad. Mohammad Ulema added that following their entry to Iranian territory from the Zabol border region, every of these Afghans had paid Rls.1.4 million to smugglers to reach Mashhad. After coming to the capital city of Khorasan Province, they hid in a garden near the city, which belongs to a citizen cooperating with them. The arrested Afghans have been transferred to the Fariman camp to be returned to their country after legal procedures. He added, "The owner of the garden has been arrested on charges of smuggling foreign nationals into the country. He added that the arrested are mostly from Urezgan, Bamian, Ghazni and other areas in Hazarah. They said their illegal immigration took place as a result of drought, cold and war in their country. The official warned that due to the cold season and drought and also the closure of Pakistan borders with Afghanistan, the Iranian borders would be a target of illegal immigration by Afghan refugees. He called for measures to be taken to control the border areas.