Afghan Deportations Create Opportunity for ISIS-K Recruitment, UN Warns

Afghan Deportations Create Opportunity for ISIS-K Recruitment, UN Warns
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The mass expulsion of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan is raising fears that extremist group ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) could exploit the humanitarian crisis to bolster its ranks, according to international security experts and the United Nations.

Since the start of 2025, more than 2.6 million Afghans have been forcibly returned to Afghanistan, many of whom were born or lived for decades in Iran and Pakistan. These returnees now face extreme poverty, lack of shelter, chronic unemployment, and alienation in a country they barely know.

Hans-Jakob Schindler, former coordinator of the UN Monitoring Team on ISIS, the Taliban, and al-Qaeda, warned that ISIS-K has been recruiting disaffected Taliban members and marginalized individuals since 2021. He noted that newly returned migrants, particularly young people, represent a vulnerable and low-cost source of manpower for the group.

Indrika Ratwatte, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan, echoed concerns, stressing that returnees without jobs or social support are highly susceptible to exploitation by armed groups.

Despite Taliban assurances that no terrorist groups operate inside Afghanistan, the UN and Russian authorities report that dozens of extremist factions—including ISIS-K and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan—remain active in the country.

Analysts warn that the current situation poses not only a severe internal security challenge for Afghanistan but also a growing threat to regional stability and the wider Muslim world.