By Emran | 2024-11-06

Afghan authorities have confirmed the recent killing of Afghan migrants by Iranian border forces, despite denials from Iranian officials.

Iranian border forces on October 13 fired on approximately 300 Afghans attempting to cross from Pakistan into Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province.

The Haalvsh Human Rights Organization reported that 260 Afghan migrants were killed, with numerous others wounded in the incident.

Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesperson for Afghanistan's current government, issued a statement on X on October 31, confirming that evidence gathered by a fact-finding committee in the Kala Gan border area near Iran indicated that Afghan migrants were fired upon.

The committee has verified the deaths of two individuals, with 34 others injured, Fitrat said.

The investigation remains ongoing, and further details are expected.

Meanwhile, Iranian officials have continued to dismiss the allegations.

Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran's ambassador to Kabul, denied the incident on October 16, saying on X that credible sources had verified no such deaths along the border.

Qomi called the media outlets reporting on the event "fabricators" and said that Iran's treatment of Afghan migrants remains responsible and aligned with policies of good neighborliness, Islamic compassion and international treaty obligations.

Hours later, Gen. Reza Shojaei, commander of the Sistan and Baluchestan Border Guard, further denounced reports of the incident, calling the circulated images and reports "entirely false."

Deceptive approach

The Iranian regime's attempt to cover up the massacre of Afghan refugees has provoked a reaction from Iranian citizens.

Iranian authorities initially tried to hide the killings of Afghan migrants just as they had attempted to conceal the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, said Milad, 27, a resident of Zabol, Iran.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shot down the aircraft on January 8, 2020, shortly after takeoff, killing all 176 occupants on board.

"The Islamic Republic has always tried to mask its crimes through deception and secrecy. But the sun cannot be hidden with two fingers, and the whole world knows about the tyranny and terror of the Islamic Republic," Milad told Pishtaz.

"The massacre of hundreds of helpless, defenseless people is not a minor issue that the officials of the Islamic Republic can simply hide through lies... those responsible for this massacre must be identified and brought to justice," he said.

"The officials of the Islamic Republic are skilled in covering up and avoiding responsibility," he add.

"In the face of all the evidence of Afghan migrants being shot, the coverup by Iranian officials is disgraceful," Milad said.