As multiple countries begin deporting hundreds of thousands of Afghans to their homeland, economic difficulties and a lack of institutional support may provide fertile ground for recruitment for any of the two dozen terrorist groups utilizing Afghanistan as a base of operations.
On April 3, Pakistan began efforts to deport many of the 3.5 million Afghans who have taken up residence in the country during decades of conflict as part of its Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Program. A spokesperson from the United Nations International Organization for Migration told the Washington Examiner that between the outset of the program and May 12, Pakistan has deported 128,638 Afghans. The spokesperson said that an additional 1.5 million Afghans could be deported throughout the year.
