Turkey deports 136 Afghan refugees back to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan

Turkey has deported 136 undocumented Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan, according to reports. 

Afghanistan’s The Khama Press News Agency reported that Kocaeli in northwestern Turkey received 272 undocumented Afghans who had fled Afghanistan on Saturday. 

136 of these people were deported right away, while the rest are expected to be returned on Sunday. 

A total of 136 undocumented Afghan refugees who sought shelter in Turkey were deported back to Afghanistan on Friday under stringent measures.@CRSSpak @ImtiazGul60 @SameenaDurrani @matrixxmedia @junaid_khan256 https://t.co/hshd7B5A1A

— Afghan Studies Center (@ASCenterPak) June 26, 2022

Afghanistan has been ravaged by several wars over the past decades, many of which were instigated by foreign powers which have destroyed the country. 

It is currently controlled by the Taliban, a brutal militant group that is imposing its hardline brand of Islam on the people and heavily restricting women’s rights. 

Turkey currently hosts four million refugees, 3.6 million of which are from Syria, according to official statistics. 

More than 37,000 undocumented refugees have been deported from Turkey this year, a rise of 89 percent compared to the previous year. 

Refugees from several countries across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East are making their way to western Europe and North America, often fleeing war, persecution and environmental disasters.