Deadly Shooting by Iranian Border Guards on Migrants; Iran Denies, Taliban Investigating

Bayan News – Hassan Kazemi Qomi, the Special Representative and Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kabul, has denied the “mass shooting” of dozens of Afghan citizens in a shooting by his country’s border forces on Afghan migrants.

On Wednesday afternoon (October 16), Qomi wrote on the platform X: “As a result of direct follow-ups through reliable sources, it has been determined that the news regarding the deaths of dozens of illegal citizens at the Saravan border is not true.”

The Iranian diplomat further wrote: “Legal action against the illegal entry of unauthorized citizens is a legitimate right of countries, and the border forces of every country are responsible for preventing the entry of illegal citizens.”

The Iranian ambassador also described border control as a mutual responsibility, adding that neighboring countries are also obligated to prevent the illegal passage of suspicious elements and unauthorized movement of their citizens. They must adhere to their international obligations in safeguarding their borders.

Qomi also wrote: “In the clamor of deceitful media, accepting any content requires precision, honesty, responsibility, and responsible reporting by news media.”

Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban government, reacted to the incident by announcing that various institutions and diplomatic representations are investigating the matter.

Mujahid stated that, as the incident occurred outside the country, there is no information available yet, and once the matter is clarified, the necessary decisions will be made.

The incident of the shooting by Iranian border guards on Afghan migrants has sparked widespread reactions both within Afghanistan and internationally.

The human rights organization “Halvash” reported that the incident occurred on Sunday night (October 21) in an ambush in the “Kalgan” border area of Saravan district in Sistan and Baluchistan province, where Iranian border forces shot at a group of migrants.

Saravan is located on the border between Pakistan and Iran.

Halvash Human Rights Organization: 260 Afghan migrants killed in Iranian border forces shooting.