Taliban Investigate Deaths Linked to Alleged Iran Border Clash

The Taliban announced Thursday that they are investigating reports of Afghan casualties near the Iranian border.

This marks their first official acknowledgment of rumors regarding the killing and wounding of Afghan nationals by Iranian security forces in an attack on Sunday.

Iran has denied that any shooting took place near Saravan, a town in the country’s southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan, bordering Afghanistan.

Despite the denial, tensions over Afghan migrants have been rising in Iran, where Western sanctions have added pressure to the economy.

Iran’s police chief recently announced plans to deport 2 million undocumented migrants over the next six months.

HalVash, an advocacy group for Iran’s Baluch people, reported the deaths, citing two unidentified witnesses and claiming that dozens were killed.

The group also shared images of what it said were victims, showing corpses and individuals with gunshot wounds.

HalVash alleged that Iranian security forces used firearms and rocket-propelled grenades during the incident.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that a high-ranking delegation has been dispatched to investigate the reports.

The team includes the deputy interior minister for security and officials from the ministries of defense and intelligence.

Mujahid confirmed on the social media platform X that the delegation had been tasked with conducting an “exhaustive and meticulous” investigation.

“They are committed to providing clarity on this issue to the public at the earliest opportunity,” he added.

Independent confirmation of the incident has been difficult.

Sistan and Baluchistan is a region known for cross-border insurgency and violence linked to drug trafficking, making it challenging to verify reports.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan has expressed concern over the reports and called for a thorough and transparent investigation.

“UNAMA expresses its deep concern over disturbing reports of an incident on 14 to 15 October in Sistan province, Sarbaz district, Kala Gan border area of Iran, with allegations that a large group of Afghan migrants were opened fire on, resulting in deaths and injuries,” the U.N. statement said.

Iranian officials have pushed back against the claims.

Gen. Reza Shojaei, a border guard commander in Sistan and Baluchistan, described the allegations as “basically false.”

Hassan Kazemi Ghomi, Iran’s special representative for Afghanistan, similarly rejected the reports, attributing them to “lying media” on X.

Afghanistan’s former Western-backed government has demanded that Iran hold those responsible accountable.

Millions of Afghans have lived in Iran since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

Today, the United Nations estimates that 3.8 million displaced people live in Iran, the majority of them Afghan nationals.

Tensions between Iran and Afghanistan have escalated as Tehran faces an influx of Afghan migrants fleeing the economic and political fallout from the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

Following the Taliban’s takeover, many Afghans fled to neighboring countries, including Iran, seeking safety from the group’s harsh rule.

The strain on Iran’s economy, compounded by U.S. sanctions, has fueled anti-migrant rhetoric and pushed Iranian authorities to crack down on undocumented Afghan migrants.

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which allowed the Taliban to regain control, has led to a humanitarian crisis that continues to drive displacement across the region.

Iranian authorities have signaled their intention to deport more Afghans, with Iranian police chief Ahmad Reza Radan stating earlier this month that the country would not tolerate illegal migrants.

He added that some 500,000 undocumented migrants had already been deported.

“We cannot allow some individuals to enter the country illegally, reside, and work,” Radan said.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press