Earthquakes In Western Afghanistan See Death Toll Reach 2,053
Afghan men search for survivors amidst the debris of a house that was destroyed by an earthquake in Gayan, Afghanistan, June 23, 2022.
The death toll from earthquakes in western Afghanistan on Saturday has surged to 2,053, the spokesperson for the national disaster authority under the Taliban said.
The spokesperson for the national disaster authority under the Taliban, Mullah Janan Shaeq, revealed on Sunday that 9,240 individuals have also sustained injuries, and 1,340 houses have been demolished due to the earthquakes that rattled Herat, as well as the neighboring provinces of Badghis and Farah.
The Zanda Jan district in Herat has been particularly hard-hit, with the official noting that 13 villages in the area have been completely destroyed.
International organizations and local authorities have dispatched rescue teams to the affected regions. Local authorities have provided essential supplies such as medicine, water, food, blankets, and tents to the families.
Meanwhile, rescue teams have been working to locate survivors under the debris, as there is concern that the casualty count may continue to rise.
Afghan officials, including Mawlawi Matiul Haq Khalis, the acting head of the Afghan Red Crescent Society, and Mufti Ashrafi, the head of the coordination committee for non-governmental organizations (NGOs), visited the areas impacted by the earthquake. They appealed to both Afghan and foreign aid agencies to provide support to the affected populations.
Earthquakes In Western Afghanistan See Death Toll Reach 2,053 | Iran International
Almost two and a half million Afghans now live in the western part of Tehran, posing "a significant challenge" to the economy and dividing the government.
Abbas Johari from the Tehran governor's office said the issue "entails expenses, particularly in the realm of education."
Mohammad Taghi Naghdali, a parliament member from Khomeinishahr, said, "People are displeased with the increasing presence of foreign nationals in schools," referring to it as an "invasion".
Foreign nationals is a term commonly referring to Afghans, whose numbers have been steadily rising as they flow across borders in the wake of the Taliban takeover two years ago.
In January, the Director-General of Foreign Nationals and Foreign Migrants Affairs at the Ministry of Interior stated that there were five million Afghan citizens residing in the country.
Naghdali has called for an explanation from the parliament's speaker regarding the matter, while others have raised complaints.
Last month, it was revealed that plans are underway to grant many of the Afghan population citizenship. Announced by MP Mahmoud Ahmadi Bighash, he said the regime wants to formalize the presence of one of the country's largest immigrant populations, a move dividing the establishment.
The issue of unauthorized entry of Afghans continues to trouble the country, both economically and demographically. While the Islamic Republic might be considering accepting more Afghan Hazaras, who share Shiite beliefs with Iranians, there is a concern that an influx of Sunni migrants could potentially alter the country's social balance. Currently, Sunni Muslims constitute around 10 percent of Iran's nearly 88-million population.
Hardliners have labeled concerns about rising Afghan immigration as "Afghan-Phobia," defending the government's perceived "open borders" policy, despite public outcry.
The fast-growing Afghan population in Iran has given rise to protests on social media and even debates in Iran's government-controlled media, with many claiming that the government has a hidden agenda in letting thousands of Afghans enter the country illegally every day. Videos from the border regions show crowds of Afghans simply walking into Iran, and some claim that “a network” quickly helps find housing and jobs for them.
Iranian officials say there are five million Afghans in Iran now of which only 780,000 have refugee status. Most others are undocumented. Some estimates of the Afghan population reach as high as 8 million. A Tehran province official said Monday that 2.5 million Afghans have settled just in areas west of the capital.
The Fatemiyoun brigade of Afghan fighters fought for the Revolutionary Guards in Syria.
Thousands of Afghan militia, recruited and trained by the Revolutionary Guard, played a significant role in supporting Bashar al-Assad's government by fighting in Syria.
Tehran Municipality’s Hamshahri newspaper is among the hardline media that has been describing popular concerns as “Afghan-phobia”. The newspaper whose chief editor Abdollah Ganji is a former editor of the IRGC-linked Javan newspaper, published an article entitled “Who Benefits From the Afghan-Phobia Project” last week.
The article said “exaggerated” news about the apparently fast-growing number of Afghan immigrants has affected the mindset of Iranians and that the concerns raised on social media have resulted in “unkind attitudes toward Afghan citizens”.
State media and other hardliner publications also appear to be unusually sympathetic to this unprecedented policy of opening the doors to Afghan immigration.
Recent video of Afghans celebrating the Taliban rule in Mashhad.
Not only reformist media that over the years had been more sympathetic to Afghan immigrants, but also some conservative media and figures such as Jomhouri Eslami newspaper and the former chairman of Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, have become increasingly vocal in criticism of what they call uncontrolled Afghan immigration and warned about “security threats” that may result from that.
A commentary entitled, “The Dangerous Aspirations of Radical Afghans in Iran” published by the newspaper Sunday warned that the Taliban may be harboring dangerous plans for Iran and may attempt to use “radical Afghans in Iran” toward securing their own interests given “the [existence of a] divide between the people and government in Iran and extensive frustration of the Iranian people”.
The warning came after a video of pro-Taliban Sunni Afghans celebrating in Mashhad on September 29 went viral on Persian-language social media. The video showed the celebrants raising the flag of the Taliban Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and chanting anti-American slogans.
The religious city of Mashhad is Iran's second largest city where the shrine of Imam Reza, the eighth Imam of Shiites, is located, while at least a segment of Afghan migrants are fierce Sunnis.
Hardliners’ positive attitude in the past two years toward the Taliban despite the Shiite-Sunni divide is unprecedented in the history of the Islamic Republic where hardliners and top Shiite clergy have always been highly sensitive to the growth of the Sunni population in the country.
“Around Mashhad, the Sunnis are buying land and houses from Shiites to increase their weight in the population. I told the officials that if they do not find a solution to these problems today, it may reach a point where no action can be taken," Nasser Makarem Shirazi, a source of emulation in Qom, warned in 2016.
Similar religious concerns may be behind some hardliners’ concerns over allowing an increase in the number of Afghan immigrants including Kayhan, a flagship newspaper close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei which has been extremely supportive of President Ebrahim Raisi and his government.
On Sunday Kayhan printed a reader’s message who has urged authorities to expel “illegal” Afghan immigrants because they are benefitting from “hidden subsidies including food, housing, public transportation and healthcare [subsidies]”.
Following months of heated disputes between the Islamic Republic and the Taliban concerning water rights, a four-member Taliban delegation has recently travelled to Iran.
The delegation's purpose is to take part in the 37th International Islamic Unity Conference, as reported by Iran's state news agency, IRNA, citing the Islamic Republic's Embassy in Kabul.
In May, a clash between Iranian border guards and the Afghan Taliban resulted in the deaths of at least two Iranians and one Taliban soldier. According to a report in the Iranian reformist daily newspaper Ham-Mihan, approximately 50 Iranians have lost their lives in border skirmishes with the Taliban since 2021.
Despite Iran's official non-recognition of the Taliban government, several delegations from the Taliban have made trips to Iran following their assumption of power in Afghanistan. In June 2022, Taliban representatives visited Tehran to participate in a border commission summit between Tehran and Kabul.
The Taliban move to cut off Helmand River's water flow from Afghanistan has had dire consequences for the inhabitants of the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan. Wetlands in Sistan have transformed into salt flats, the once-thriving wildlife has vanished, and many local villages have been deserted.
The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) has unveiled his shortlist for the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, which includes an Iranian and an Afghan rights activists.
The 2023 shortlist features the names of Narges Mohammadi and an Afghan activist Mahbouba Seraj.
Narges Mohammadi is a prominent Iranian human rights activist and journalist who has been a fervent advocate for women's rights and the abolition of the death penalty. She has faced multiple incarcerations in Iran and is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence on charges that include disseminating “propaganda against the state.” Her imprisonment has garnered international condemnation.
Henrik Urdal, the director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO, remarked, "History has shown us that respect for human rights is intrinsically linked to peaceful societies. The non-violent struggle for human rights is therefore a valuable contribution to peace and stability, and an advancement of the 'fellowship among nations' as stipulated by Alfred Nobel in his will. As this year marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, my Nobel shortlist reflects a timely and worthy focus on human rights defenders and activists."
Mahbouba Seraj is a prominent Afghan journalist and women's rights activist. After spending 26 years in exile, she returned to Afghanistan in 2003 and is currently based in Kabul. Seraj is a staunch advocate for children's health and education, anti-corruption efforts, and the empowerment of survivors of domestic abuse.
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded annually by the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals or organizations for their exceptional contributions to the promotion of peace.
Iran is planning to grant political citizenship to Afghan residents within the country in a move set to divide the country.
MP Mahmoud Ahmadi Bighash said the primary aim of the move is to formalize the presence of millions of illegal Afghan nationals in Iran, though it is understood to be a means of bolstering regime support and a declining population, amid a mass exodus of Iranians fleeing the country.
He admitted that “there is a lack of a comprehensive strategy to regulate and address the illegal entry of Afghans into Iran", where many come to work as economic migrants.
"The government appears to be inclined towards facilitating their entry and long-term residence, disregarding the extensive social, security, political, economic, and cultural repercussions stemming from the presence of over 8 to 10 million Afghans in Iran,” he said this week.
The issue of unlawful entry of Afghans into Iran is not a recent concern, the unregulated and unrestrained flow of Afghan nationals across the Iranian borders only intensifying since the takeover of the Taliban two years ago, prompting growing apprehension.
While the Islamic Republic may be considering accepting more Afghan Hazaras, who share Shiite beliefs with Iranians, there is a concern that an influx of Sunni migrants could potentially alter the demographic balance in the country.
Currently, Sunni Muslims constitute around 10 percent of Iran's nearly 88-million population. Hazaras make up the largest ethnic group among Afghan immigrants to Iran, followed by Sunni Tajiks, Pashtuns, and Uzbeks.
