18 refugees killed, 35 injured in Afghan truck accident

At least 18 Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan were killed and 35 others were injured when a truck overturned on a highway in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday.

The accident took place in Laghman Province along the main road connecting Kabul and Nangarhar Province, confirmed provincial governor’s spokesperson Abdul Malik Niazai.

Officials said the victims included 10 children and five women. The injured, most of them women and children, were transported to hospitals in Nangarhar for treatment.

Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid expressed condolences to the bereaved families and injured in the crash.

Road accidents remain a frequent occurrence in Afghanistan due to poor road conditions and widespread disregard for traffic regulations.

The passengers were among the large number of Afghans returning from Pakistan amid an ongoing campaign against undocumented migrants launched by the Pakistani authorities in 2023. Similar expulsions have also taken place in Iran. Since then, millions of Afghans have returned from the two neighboring countries, including many who were born and raised in Pakistan and had lived there for decades, reports UNB.