Afghan Migration to Iran Soaring, as Citizens Flee Economic Collapse

The collapse of the Afghan economy and the desperate conditions that deprive citizens of food, heat, and healthcare are driving hundreds of thousands to migrate out of the country, to Iran, Pakistan, and perhaps, when warmer weather comes, to Europe. According to a study in The New York Times, Feb. 2, between last October and the end of January, more than a million Afghans from the southwestern part of the country alone embarked on the difficult, winter journey to Iran. Aid organizations estimate that between 4,000-5,000 people a day cross into Iran—a country that lacks the resources to handle large numbers of refugees and is taking measures to prevent them from entering—often to no avail. David Mansfield, who knows the Afghan situation very well and is tracking migration patterns, reports an exponential rise in the number of people leaving Afghanistan through the southwestern route, despite how difficult it is during harsh winter months. He estimates that up to four times as many Afghans were leaving their country for Pakistan, and then Iran, each day in January compared with the same time period last year.