Afghan Refugee Truck Crash Kills 22 and Injures 36 on Kabul-Nangarhar Highway

11 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 30

At least 22 people died and about 36 were injured when a truck carrying Afghan returnees from Pakistan overturned Saturday in Laghman province, on the main road linking Kabul and Nangarhar.
Officials said the truck plunged into a ditch after the driver fell asleep; the dead included 10 children and five women, and most casualties were women and children.
Hospitals in Nangarhar received the injured as authorities said the passengers were among thousands of Afghans recently returning from Pakistan, which has pressured migrants to leave since a 2023 crackdown.
Millions of Afghans have returned from Pakistan and Iran since expulsions intensified, adding to movement on roads where poor maintenance and weak traffic enforcement make deadly crashes common.

Is this deadly crash a tragic accident, or the inevitable cost of forcing millions of refugees back into a humanitarian crisis?

Millions of Afghans are being deported to a nation on the brink. What future awaits them beyond these perilous journeys home?