Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Migration

Forty-Five Days to Spain: One man’s journey from Afghanistan in search of a future

Rohullah Sorush • Roxanna Shapour •

War has shaped the lives of several generations of Afghans, with many pushed to travel beyond the country’s borders, seeking sanctuary or opportunity in more peaceful places. That includes the hundreds of thousands who have embarked on the dangerous journey to Europe. In this instalment of The Daily Hustle, AAN’s Rohullah Sorush hears from one man who […]

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Muhammad’s Last Journey: A story of survival, debt and loss

Nur Khan Himmat • Roxanna Shapour •

The Islamic Emirate’s ban on poppy cultivation has reshaped life in many areas across Afghanistan, especially in Helmand province, where poppy was fundamental to the economy and to many farmers’ livelihoods. This is the story of one such farmer, Muhammad, who, having lost his main source of income following the poppy ban and finding that […]

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The Daily Hustle: Afghans flee the Iran-Israel war

Nur Khan Himmat • Roxanna Shapour •

As the conflict between Israel and Iran escalated, many Afghans who had been living in Iran opted to return to Afghanistan, fearing for their safety. The Iranian government’s current drive to deport Afghans had already accelerated the pace of ‘returns’. However, for Afghans who had lived through years of conflict in their own country, the […]

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The Daily Hustle: How to get a national ID card in Afghanistan if you’re a Kuchi 

Nur Khan Himmat • Roxanna Shapour •

Despite claims that obtaining a national identity card (tazkira) has become easier, many Afghans still encounter significant hurdles when they try to get one. The difficulties are particularly pronounced for returnees – those coming back after years in Pakistan or who were born there without ever having lived in Afghanistan – as well as for members of […]

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Women and children walk along a street in Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo: Hoshang Hashimi/AFP, 13 September 2021

The Daily Hustle: A young women’s journey home for the summer holidays

Rama Mirzada • Roxanna Shapour •

For decades, Afghanistan has had a huge diaspora who, if they can, travel home to visit family and keep connections to their homeland alive. Since the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate,  many Afghan women are apprehensive about returning to the country for a visit. They worry about the Emirate’s restrictions on women and how this […]

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The Daily Hustle: Waiting in Islamabad for evacuation

Rohullah Sorush • Roxanna Shapour •

When the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan returned to power in August 2021, thousands of Afghans who were working for NGOs left Afghanistan, fearing harassment by Afghanistan’s new rulers, or just taking an opportunity to start a new life elsewhere. Many have already found their way to Europe, the United States, and elsewhere. Others are still […]

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The Daily Hustle: My life as a refugee – and choosing to return home 

Sayed Asadullah Sadat • Roxanna Shapour •

After the Islamic Republic collapsed in August 2021, tens of thousands of people rushed to Kabul airport, attempting to leave Afghanistan. Some faced specific threats from the new rulers. Others were fearful of an uncertain future, increased violence and unemployment and hoped for a better future for themselves and their children if they went abroad. […]

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The Daily Hustle: ‘Packing up a life’ in Pakistan and being forcibly returned to Afghanistan 

Ali Mohammad Sabawoon •

Nearly a half of a million Afghans, many born and brought up in Pakistan, have ‘returned’ to their country since the start of Pakistan’s latest deportation campaign. On 3 October 2023, the government in Islamabad told undocumented Afghans living in the country to leave voluntarily by the end of that month or risk being forcibly […]

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