Human Rights | ACW | October 28, 2026 — The Taliban say 819 Afghan families, a total of 3,750 people, were forcibly returned to Afghanistan in the six days from Oct. 22 to 27, 2026, according to a report posted on Wednesday by Hamdullah Fitrat, the Taliban's deputy spokesman, on behalf of the Taliban's High Commission for Addressing Returnees' Issues.

According to the report, they came through four crossings on the borders with Pakistan and Iran:

• Torkham, Nangarhar: 199 families, 999 people
• Spin Boldak, Kandahar: 57 families, 327 people
• Silk Bridge, Nimroz: 498 families, 2,196 people
• Islam Qala, Herat: 65 families, 228 people

The Taliban also said 7,630 other "travellers" returned through the Silk Bridge route, without saying whether they were forced to return.

In the same period, the Taliban say, 233 families were moved to other provinces, 379 families received cash assistance and 1,226 families in Kunduz, Paktia, Faryab and Samangan received residential land plots. These figures have not been independently verified.

The Afghan outlet Hasht-e Subh reported the total as 3,850 people; the official total in the Taliban report is 3,750.

According to Open Doors, about two million Afghans returned from Pakistan and Iran in 2025, mostly through forced deportation.

Why it matters: forced returns of whole families put pressure on all of Afghan society. Open Doors says leaving Islam is treated as a crime in Afghanistan, so forced return carries serious risk for Christian converts and members of religious minorities among the returnees.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Source: Hamdullah Fitrat, Taliban deputy spokesman (report of the High Commission for Addressing Returnees' Issues); Hasht-e Subh; Open Doors