World

Returned and reeling: Afghans expelled from Iran struggle to start over

August 7, 2025 1:41 pm

[Source: Reuters]

Habiba, an Afghan woman who fled Taliban rule to pursue a master’s degree in engineering in Iran, was deported in July just before she was about to complete her studies.

The 31-year-old, who declined to give her family name for fear of repercussions, said she returned to her homeland with little more than her laptop and documents, the last traces of a future she nearly secured, one of hundreds of thousands forced to return in recent weeks as Iran ramped up expulsions of Afghans in the wake of its war with Israel.