Four years after US withdrawal, Taliban focuses on housing for returning afghan refugees

The Taliban administration has initiated programs to provide land and housing to returning refugees and internally displaced people. It has recently started a five-year plan, which said it is “preparing the ground for the dignified and safe return of Afghan refugees”. In January 2025, the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing allocated 13,895 acres across Kabul, Kandahar, Bamiyan, Panjshir, and other provinces to establish new settlements for returning Afghan refugees.

Likelihood of dignified and safe return

Millions of Afghans have been expelled from Pakistan and Iran. According to UNHCR estimation, 3.4 million refugees have been deported since 2023, with nearly 1.5 million being deported in 2024 alone. Pakistan is by far the largest contributor; it has already forced 1 million Afghans back. Iran regularly deports Afghans, who are consistently blamed for the economic woes of the country. During the 12-day conflict, the regular deportation jumped from a few thousand to 30,000 daily. Between January and June 2025, almost 1 million Afghans returned, with over 250,000 returning from Iran alone in June.

Human rights groups have raised concerns about the influx of refugees returning to Afghanistan and its ability to provide shelter and sufficient financial resources. The Taliban's rule has seen restrictions on women's employment and education, making the process of aid delivery and economic recovery tougher. The broader humanitarian response remains inadequate. A joint UNAMA and OHCHR report on July 2025 documents abuses against individuals involuntarily returned to Afghanistan, especially women, former government officials, media figures, and civil society activists. These abuses range from imprisonment, detention, torture, breaking bones, public flogging, mock execution and waterboarding.

On August 30, 2021, the United States withdrew from Afghanistan, ending a 20-year-long war. The US troops left Kabul after a chaotic evacuation following the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban on August 15, prompting the collapse of the Afghan government. The Doha agreement of 2020 had earlier set the premise for the US troops' withdrawal. Since the US withdrawal, the World Bank and the IMF have suspended funding, and the US froze $9 billion of foreign reserves, creating a crisis. According to the Afghanistan Peace Campaign, nearly 24 million Afghans rely on humanitarian assistance. The annual aid to the country of $3.8 billion per year pledged by donors in the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund has dropped to $300 million in early 2025, and the country is facing 47.3 per cent poverty, 18.6 per cent unemployment and 36.9 per cent food insecurity.

Taliban recently took back refugees from Britain, Germany and also refused to take payments, but said they will accept aid for rehabilitation. A senior Taliban official said to the Telegraph that Afghanistan “is home to all Afghans” regardless of their legal status abroad.