Taliban Minister of Refugees and Repatriation Abdul Kabir says that Afghan refugees returning to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran did not travel to European countries through illicit routes in pursuit of wealth; rather, he claimed, they had migrated in order to “preserve religious values.”
Speaking at a gathering in Paktia province, Abdul Kabir said that these refugees were people who, according to him, had “shown devotion to their religion” and had gone abroad. He claimed that some of them would “fulfill their religious obligations” while abroad and then return to Afghanistan to engage in “jihad.”
He said that similar refugees had also left Afghanistan during the presence of the Soviet Union and NATO, adding that some of the current returnees may include brothers and other family members of people who were killed during the conflicts.
The Taliban’s Minister of Refugees claimed that approximately eight million Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from neighboring countries since the Taliban’s return to power. He added that efforts are underway to address the housing and other needs of returnees.
Abdul Kabir said that, according to the Taliban, Afghan refugees had achieved their “major objectives,” including “ending the occupation and establishing an Islamic system.”
He also said that residential plots of land had been distributed to thousands of returnees and that the authorities expect to provide land for housing to all returnees in need.
According to Abdul Kabir, the distribution of food supplies to returnee families is also continuing, while efforts are underway, in cooperation with relevant organizations, to provide assistance to an additional 26,000 families.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
