GENEVA, 24 September 2021, (TON): The United Nation’s refugee agency says that tens of thousands of Afghans in neighbouring countries are thought to be in need of international refugee protections, having sought refuge there after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan last month.”

In the period between January 1-July 22, 2021, just before the Taliban’s overthrow of the Afghan government – nearly 4,000 Afghans were estimated to have become new refugees in Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan, according to data released by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

That number rose to 35,400 by September 22, an almost nine-fold increase, the UN agency said in its latest report.

“The majority of Afghan new arrivals approaching UNHCR in Pakistan and Iran are largely undocumented and a large majority of Afghan new arrivals interviewed by UNHCR report leaving Afghanistan for security-related reasons,” says the agency’s latest Afghanistan situation report.

At least 19,300 new Afghan refugees have entered Iran this year, 10,800 have gone to Pakistan and 5,300 to Tajikistan, the data estimates, adding that the real figures may be higher.

The UNHCR has in recent days warned regional governments of the possibility of a humanitarian crisis sparking mass refugee movement from Afghanistan if the country is not stabilised.