After Israel, did Iran also attack Afghanistan? What did the UN declare on the death of Afghan civilians?
The United Nations (UN) has taken seriously the deadly attack on Afghan civilians near the Iranian border. A UN expert has called for an investigation into reports that Afghan civilians were killed and injured in an attack by Iranian security forces on the Afghanistan border. Iran on Sunday denied any incident of firing near Saravan. The area is a city in the country’s troubled southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan, which borders Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
However, anti-Afghan migrant rhetoric has increased in Iran in recent months, as its economy is being affected due to sanctions from Western countries. Iran’s police chief has meanwhile also claimed that about 2 million migrants will be deported in the next six months. After this, the Taliban said on Thursday that they would give information in this regard after the investigation of the alleged attack is completed. Their chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had earlier said that rumors were spreading about the death and injury of Afghan civilians on the Iran border. He said in a post on ‘X’, “The incident has not been confirmed yet. Necessary decision will be taken after the matter is confirmed.”
UN will investigate
Halwash is an advocacy group for the Baloch people, which mainly focuses on Iran. Halwash has released several reports on the shooting. These have cited two unnamed witnesses to the attack and others have claimed that the death toll is at least in dozens and many people have been injured. Halwash alleged that Iranian security forces used both firearms and rockets in the attack. Richard Bennett, the UN Special Envoy on Human Rights in Afghanistan, demanded an investigation into the reports, saying he was “extremely concerned.”
He said in a post on ‘X’, “I appeal to the authorities to investigate in a transparent manner. There is an urgent need to clarify the situation.” The United Nations Refugee Agency estimates that 3.8 million displaced people live in Iran, most of whom are Afghans. Some in Iran believe the number of Afghans is even higher.