Security officials in Sistan-Baluchistan Province in southeastern Iran say they’ve arrested more than 130 Afghan nationals over the last two weeks.
Mahan security commander Hossein Tayyebi told the Fars News Agency on Friday March 22: “In the past two weeks, more than 130 Afghan nationals, five automobiles and eight human traffickers have been arrested [or seized] and handed over to the judiciary.”
He reported that the human traffickers were hiding the Afghan nationals under covers in their cars in order to smuggle them into the country.
Recent government restrictions targeting Afghan nationals settled in Iran have spurred them to migrate to Turkey, but reports from some asylum seekers indicate that they are not finding adequate living conditions in Turkey either.
About 20,000 Afghan immigrants are said to be living in Turkey, and most have entered the country in recent months.
The United Nations says the increased Afghan migration to Turkey may have been triggered by uncertainty about Afghanistan’s future after foreign troops leave next year, as well as the deteriorating economic conditions in Iran.
