As Iran-Taliban tensions rise, Afghan migrants inside tinderbox

As Iran-Taliban tensions rise, Afghan migrants inside tinderbox

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The Taliban members who killed her activist husband offered Zahra Husseini a deal: Marry one of us, with every one other accompanied by you'll exist safe.

Husseini, 31, decided to flee. Through swaths of lawless flatlands she with every one other accompanied by her set of two small children trekked by foot, motorcycle with every one other accompanied by truck until reaching Iran.

As Afghanistan plunged into monetary crisis following the United States withdrew troops with every one other accompanied by the Taliban seized power, the 960-kilometer (572-mile) lengthy border accompanied by Iran became a lifeline for Afghans who piled into smugglers' pickups inside despairing search of money with every one other accompanied by work.

But inside recent weeks the renounce crossing, lengthy a dangerous curve of the world, has become a growing spring of tension while an estimated 5,000 Afghans traverse it every one day with every one other accompanied by the neighbors — erstwhile enemies that commerce fuel, portion aqua with every one other accompanied by have a tortured history — navigate an increasingly charged relationship.

In past weeks, skirmishes erupted in the centre of Taliban with every one other accompanied by Iranian border guards. Afghans inside trio cities rallied opposed to Iran. Demonstrators hurled stones with every one other accompanied by place fires external outside an Iranian Consulate. A fatal stabbing spree, allegedly by an Afghan migrant, at Iran's holiest shrine sent shockwaves into and not here of the country.

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Political analysts speak flat while both nations do not want an escalation, long-smoldering hostilities chance spiraling not here of control.

"You have one of the world's worst-simmering displaced person crises fair chugging down on a done every one day step with every one other accompanied by historical enmity," said Andrew Watkins, older Afghanistan expert at the United States Institute of Peace. "Earthquakes will happen."

The perils are personal for Afghans slipping across the border exist fond of Husseini. Since the Taliban takeover, Iran has escalated its deportations of Afghan migrants, according to the U.N. migration agency, warning that its sanctions-hit affluence cannot hold the influx.

In the earliest trio months of this year, Iran's deportations jumped 60% every one month, said Ashley Carl, deputy leader of the agency's Afghanistan mission. Many of the 251,000 returned from Iran this year convey the wounds with every one other accompanied by scars of the arduous trip, he said, surviving automobile accidents, gunshots with every one other accompanied by other travails.

Roshangol Hakimi, a 35-year-old who fled to Iran following the Taliban takeover, said smugglers held her with every one other accompanied by her 9-year-old feminine child hostage over a week until her relatives paid ransom.

"They would feed us accompanied by polluted aqua with every one other accompanied by hard, stale bread," she said. "We were dying."

The fortunate ones land inside the jumble of Tehran, squeezing into dank with every one other accompanied by packed alleyways. Iran estimates at least a million Afghans have sought refuge inside the country over the last eight months.

Like many, Husseini lives inside legal limbo, in danger to harassment with every one other accompanied by exploitation. Her boss at the tailor's store refuses to pay her salary. Her landlord threatens to gumboot her out. She tin hardly cobble with every one other sufficient money to feed her children.

"We have nothing with every one other accompanied by nowhere to go," she said from a cramped space inside southern Tehran, furnished accompanied by fair a donated gasoline heater, chairs with every one other accompanied by a few velour blankets.

As additional Afghans arrive, helping them gets harder. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh lamented last month that "waves of displaced Afghans cannot carry on accompanied by to Iran" since Iran's "capacities are limited." Iran's early years unemployment hovers over 23%. Iran's currency, the rial, has shriveled to less than 50% of its price since 2018.

"The biggest be brave enough is that Iran is not prepared for the new circumstances of refugees," Tehran-based political analyst Rea Ghobeishavi said of the increasing friction in the centre of Afghans with every one other accompanied by Iranians.

Iran has grown additional worried while a twine of bloody attacks inside Afghanistan targeting the country's minority Hazara Shiites makes understandable that extremist threats proliferate in malice of Taliban promises to provide security.

"There are reports that some extremists are entering Iran easily accompanied by refugees," said Abbas Husseini, a prominent Afghan journalist inside Tehran, describing mounting paranoia inside Iran.

Last month, Iran's most sacred Shiite shrine inside the northeastern city of Mashhad turned into a scene of carnage when an assailant stabbed trio clerics, killing set of two — a infrequent take deed of violence at the compound. The attacker was identified inside media while an Afghan national of Uzbek ethnicity.

In the following days, a surge of videos agitating opposed to Afghan refugees flooded Iranian communal media. Impossible to authenticate, the grainy clips — footage showing Iranians insulting with every one other accompanied by beating up Afghans — have been dismissed while misleading inside Iran nevertheless inside Afghanistan have dominated headlines, stoking condition fury.

Demonstrators attacked the Iranian Consulate inside the western city of Herat accompanied by stones with every one other accompanied by protested at Iran's Embassy inside Kabul. "Stop killing Afghans," pleaded protesters inside the Afghan capital. "Death to Iran," chanted crowds inside Herat with every one other accompanied by the southeastern Khost province. Iran suspended all of its diplomatic missions inside Afghanistan for 10 days.

Even while the gate of its consulate smoldered, Iran's exceptional envoy for Afghanistan deflected. Hassan Kazemi Qomi blamed the escalating tensions on a vague "enemy" seeking to subvert the nations' relations. Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi raised his concerns accompanied by the Iranian ambassador.

"The ill-treatment of Afghan refugees inside Iran adversely affects relations in the centre of the set of two countries ... allowing antagonists to conspire," Muttaqi was quoted while saying.

His careful timbre betrays a troubled history.

In 1998, Iran almost went to war opposed to the Taliban following 10 of its diplomats were killed when their consulate was stormed inside the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif. But following the U.S.-led invasion, Tehran's Shiite leaders grew wary of the American military presence on their doorstep with every one other accompanied by took a additional pragmatic stance in the direction of the Sunni militant group.

Now, analysts say, accompanied by both nations severed from the worldwide banking system with every one other accompanied by starved for cash, they have go nearer to be contingent on on every one other. Neither wants to see tensions mount further.

"Through neighbors, Iran tin sanctions-bust, exchange currency, barter with every one other accompanied by retain its affluence alive," said Sanam Vakil, deputy director of Chatham House's Middle East with every one other accompanied by North Africa Program.

But the neighbors almost came to blows last week when Taliban guards tried to pave a new highway across the border. Iranian guards went on high alert. The vital crossing closed.

Aware of the stakes, the countries are vigorously pursuing diplomacy. Last week, Khatibzadeh promised Tehran would accredit Taliban diplomats for the earliest hour dated to assist procedure the mountains of consular cases. Taliban officials visited the first city to talk over Iran's behaviour towards of Afghan refugees.

Many of those refugees fleeing Afghanistan's repression with every one other accompanied by destitution harbor humble dreams: of scraping by while building laborers, works workers with every one other accompanied by farmhands inside Iran.

Others, exist fond of Hakimi's 9-year-old feminine child Yasmin, hope to carry on accompanied by on to Europe. She fantasizes concerning Germany. Her father, a police officer killed by the Taliban inside Logar province, instilled inside her the importance of an education, she said.

"We don't want to have a bad future," Yasmin said from her dilapidated Tehran apartment. "We want to become literate people, exist fond of my father."

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DeBre reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

As Iran-Taliban tensions rise, Afghan migrants inside tinderbox