In brief
The plight of Afghan migrants seeking refuge in the UK has turned into a harrowing journey filled with perilous risks and heartbreaking tales. Azaan, a former Afghan army officer, has made multiple attempts to cross the dangerous walls dividing Iran and Turkey. Each time, his resolve is met with debilitating pain and frequent deportations, reflecting the grim reality for countless Afghans fleeing a country under Taliban rule. As tighter border security and crackdowns on migration intensify, desperation pushes these individuals into the hands of ruthless smugglers. With stories of his friends suffering brutal beatings and tragic loss, Azaan vows to keep trying, believing that his only hope lies beyond the borders. Meanwhile, stories from other migrants like Shahida reveal further hardships faced during treacherous sea crossings, painting a vivid picture of suffering against the backdrop of loss. The voices of these individuals echo a profound truth; for them, the relentless pursuit of freedom is worth risking everything.
The first time Azaan made the jump across the wall, he broke his arm. Braving the 20ft (6m) drop into a wide trench below is, for many Afghans, the only way to cross into Turkey from Iran—and yet hundreds risk it each day. “I was in severe pain,” Azaan, a former Afghan army officer, recounted. “Several others had broken limbs. The smuggler left us here and told us to run in the direction of the lights of Van city. Many of us were fading out of hunger. I fainted.” The wall—which stretches for nearly 300km (185 miles)—was built to prevent illegal crossings, and is patrolled constantly by Turkish border forces. Jumping off it is just the beginning of a series of extraordinary risks Afghan migrants take as they traverse continents and seas to reach the UK and other European countries. Over the past year, fleeing their homeland has become more perilous than ever for Afghans, as Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey have ramped up their restrictions and conducted mass deportations.Azaan found it impossible to continue. With injuries and severe hunger, he was left with a single boiled egg each morning and a meager cup of rice every evening by smugglers who charged nearly $4,000 (£3,150) for the journey to Europe. “I had two friends – we had promised to not leave each other,” he recounted. His friends tied scarves around him, hoisting him back up the wall to Iran, only for Iranian police to deport him back to Afghanistan.This marked Azaan's second failed attempt. The first he abandoned when he realized he couldn’t bear to take his wife and children along on such a treacherous journey. Despite the pain and lost hope, he persevered, selling his house and his wife's jewelry in a bid to finance a third attempt. Back at the wall, he was in a group of 60 to 70 migrants when the smuggler placed a ladder on the Iranian side, cutting the razor wire at the top to create a makeshift passage. “We climbed to the top and then the smuggler told us to jump.” A law and politics graduate, Azaan had led a dignified life until the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Now, under their rule, he faces brutal restrictions and constant fear for his family's survival. “Here we are dying every moment. It’s better to die once, for good,” he said.After a painful and humiliating return to Kabul, Azaan reflects on the traumatic experience of deportation that left him battered, witnessing the horrors migrants face. “They beat me with the butt of a gun. One boy was hit in his genitals. An old man’s leg was broken. There was a corpse in the trenches in Turkey.” He mentioned that conditions in Iran are similarly dire, with Afghans facing brutal treatment upon detention.The BBC's investigation unveiled the stark realities of Afghanistan’s migration crisis, in which endeavors to enter Iran and subsequent crossings into Turkey have turned increasingly deadly. An Afghan smuggler, speaking anonymously, confirmed the perilous nature of the journey. “Iranian police are shooting a lot at the border with Afghanistan. One of my friends was killed recently,” he explained.Despite the dangers, those who manage to cross into Turkey find themselves further subjected to inhumane behavior from local authorities. With reports of migrants being caught and beaten, the journey continues with little mercy shown by police. Crossings have become considerably more challenging recently, with apprehensions happening nightly.As the UK becomes a sought-after destination, the increasing number of Afghans arriving in small boats indicates a growing humanitarian crisis. Many hopefuls, like Shahida, who actively opposed Taliban rules and contributed to civil society, continue to seek asylum in hostile conditions, facing arduous journeys arising from a lack of viable options. In Kabul, an elderly father mourns the loss of his son, Javid, a former soldier who succumbed to death attempting to escape Taliban rule. “If we had known we would be betrayed and abandoned, no one would have agreed to join hands with foreign forces,” he lamented.As nations like the UK grapple with policies around refugee support, progress remains painfully slow for those like Azaan and Shahida. Azaan is left with no choice but to weigh his options in hopes of finally securing a safer life for his family—a haunting reality shared by countless others in Afghanistan today.
