HERAT: Several Afghan nationals were killed after Iranian border guards opened fire on a group attempting to illegally cross into Iran from western Afghanistan, according to local sources.
The incident occurred in the Kamana and Bonyad areas of Kohsan district in Herat Province, near the Iranian border.
Local sources told Afghanistan International that the migrants came under fire while trying to enter Iran.
The exact number of casualties could not be independently verified, with conflicting accounts emerging from the area.
One source said Iranian border guards targeted dozens of Afghan migrants and that at least two people were killed while two others were wounded.
The injured were taken to Herat for medical treatment.
The source added that the fate of several others who were reportedly shot on the Iranian side of the border remains unknown.
Neither the Iranian authorities nor the Taliban administration had commented on the incident at the time of publication.
Earlier this year, Iranian border guards killed at least three Afghan nationals and injured four others after opening fire on a group of migrants who were attempting to illegally cross the border in the Bacheh Rahi area of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province, reports Afghan International.
The shooting comes as Iran intensifies a nationwide crackdown on undocumented Afghan migrants.
Following a government-imposed deadline for unregistered foreigners to leave the country, Iranian authorities have accelerated the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Afghans, citing border security and national security concerns.
The campaign marks a significant shift from decades of relatively permissive policies towards stricter immigration enforcement and tighter border controls.
