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Afghanistan accuses Iran of dozens of dead migrants

An Afghan provincial governor blames Iranian border troops for possibly causing 38 migrants from his country to have drowned in a border river. “One day we will pay you back,” tweeted Herat governor Sajed Wahid Katali, according to the dpa news agency.

According to the dpa, Afghanistan accuses the Iranian security forces of driving around 50 migrants into the Hari Rud river in the Gulran district the previous day. Twelve of them could have saved themselves, said provincial councilor Ahmad Karochi. Seven bodies were recovered from the river, there was no trace of the other people. The Reuters news agency reports that 12 bodies have already been recovered.

Iran rejected the allegations. “We deeply regret this accident, but the incident occurred on Afghan and non-Iranian territory,” said Abbas Mousavi, spokesman for foreign affairs. According to Mousavi, the Iranian border guards have also denied any involvement. Iran, along with the Afghan authorities, will investigate the incident thoroughly, he said, according to the Isna news agency.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry also said that the incident would be fully investigated and “necessary” measures would follow.

Persistent conflicts, extreme poverty and high unemployment force thousands of Afghans to cross the border with Iran illegally each year. According to UN reports, almost one million Afghan refugees are currently registered in Iran, and another two million are said to be living there illegally.

According to Reuters, the incident could lead to a diplomatic crisis between the two countries. Because of the corona crisis, many Afghans are currently returning home, and many have already tested positive for the virus.

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