A truck transporting Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan overturned on a highway in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least 22 people and injuring 36 others, officials said.
The accident occurred in Laghman province on the main road connecting Kabul with Nangarhar, according to Abdul Malik Niazai, a spokesperson for the provincial governor. The passengers were Afghans returning from Pakistan, where authorities have intensified a crackdown on undocumented migrants and refugees since 2023.
Aminullah Sharif, the provincial director of public health, said the driver fell asleep at the wheel, causing the truck to veer off the road and into a ditch. Survivors were taken to hospitals in neighbouring Nangarhar province for treatment.
Hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees have returned from Pakistan since October 2023, when Pakistan launched a deportation campaign targeting undocumented foreigners, citing a surge in militant attacks. The policy has largely affected Afghans who fled decades of war, including many who moved to Pakistan after the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration, nearly 447,400 Afghans have returned from Pakistan since the start of this year. Humanitarian groups have criticised the deportations, noting that returnees face worsening conditions under Taliban rule, with limited access to housing, employment, and basic services.
Saturday's crash follows a similar tragedy in August 2025, when a bus returning Afghan migrants from Iran collided with a truck and motorcycle in Herat province, killing 79 people, including 19 children.
