Iranian authorities shot dead six Afghan migrants allegedly attempting to cross over into the country via Sistan and Baluchestan province, it emerged on Wednesday.
According to a report by human rights group Halvash, the six migrants were killed on September 8 while several others were injured as around 300 Afghans attempted to make past the border crossing. Iranian forces opened fire on 120 migrants, using RPGs [grenade launchers], detaining 40 of them in Sistan and Baluchestan province at the Golshan border crossing.
Recounting two survivors’ accounts, Halvash said that Ehsanullah Tajik, Nasrullah Barkzai, Hezbullah Barkzai, Wai Barkzai, and Basheer Ahmad Barkzai, were among the injured.
The injured have been shifted to hospitals and many are reportedly in critical condition.
Neither the Iranian authorities nor the Afghan government have issued any official statement regarding the incident.
Over 300 Afghan migrants came under fire in the Iran border region last year, which resulted in numerous fatalities, including an incident in October of 2024, when Iranian border forces opened fire on Afghan migrants, leaving dozens dead, injured or missing.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, about 780,000 Afghan refugees reside in Iran. The Iranian government’s headcount in 2022 indicated the number of Afghans in Iran was around 2.6 million.
Iran holds an aggressive policy when it comes to Afghan refugees, with a staggering 1.5 millon Afghan nationals sent back in 2025, according to the United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration.
