Afghan refugees

Amidst a broader crackdown on Afghan refugees, Turkish police have detained 99 Afghan individuals in the city of Erzincan, according to reports from Khaama Press. The refugees were apprehended during a search operation on a truck along the Erzincan-Tercan highway. Additionally, three suspects were taken into custody on charges of "human trafficking" during the same operation.

Afghan refugees who came to Albania in 2021, expecting to move quickly on to the US, are finding their prolonged stay in the Balkan country frustrating.

UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees Kelly T. Clements has called on the Taliban to discuss the plight of Afghan refugees and their return to the soil as many of them flee the war-torn nation when it seized power in Afghanistan last year.

Afghan evacuees arrive at Pristina airport in Kosovo in August. Photo: EPA-EFE/VALDRIN XHEMAJ

A total of 100,000 euros will be allocated after Montenegro pledged financial support during a UN meeting on September 13.

EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson and Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu discussed recent developments in Syria and Afghanistan on Oct. 12. 
"In the meeting today we discussed challenges resulting from the situation in Afghanistan and other areas of concern -- challenges that can only be solved by working together," Johansson said on Twitter.

Some 111 Afghan evacuees arrive at the Pristina International Airport airport​ in Pristina, Kosovo, August 29. Photo: EPA-EFE/VALDRIN XHEMAJ

Care packages and computers

We are all witnessing the dramatic events affecting Afghanistan and the tragic uncertainty that so many Afghan citizens feel for the future of their country, which currently counts 3 million displaced persons, 550,000 of whom were displaced in 2021.

Afghan evacuees arrive at Skopje airport in North Macedonia on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE/Georgi Licovski

The NGO activists urged the Montenegrin government to "enable anyone who is on its territory to express their intention and apply for asylum, in accordance with the procedure provided by the [Montenegrin] Law on International and Temporary Protection of Foreign Citizens".

"But we finally got here and now I feel happy and optimistic about our short stay here, until we get to the United States," he added.

Wearing jeans and a white shirt, Ahmad says he spent his whole life with the conflict in Afghanistan, but did not think about leaving and was happy with his job.

The refugees fleeing the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan were flown in to Tirana airport on Friday morning, where they received medical check-ups before being sent onwards to the city of Durres.