Reports of Iranian Soldiers Forcing Migrants into River (Video)

This morning, Afghan officials began to investigate reports that Iranian border guards have tortured migrants from Afghanistan and throw them into a river to prevent them from entering Iran during the last two days.

The Afghani prosecutors have started operations of pulling out the bodies from the river which is located in a western region of the country, according to Reuters.

In a statement released this morning, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said that an investigation had begun and a senior official at the presidential palace in Kabul said that initial estimates indicate that at least 70 migrants were trying to enter Iran from the neighboring Herat region, but they were beaten and dumped in the Harirud River.

Doctors at Herat County Hospital said they had received the bodies of Afghan immigrants, some of whom died from drowning.

The Iranian consulate in Herat denied accusations that Iranian border guards tortured dozens of Afghan migrant workers, pushed them into the river and drowned them.

"The Iranian border guards have not arrested any Afghan citizens," the consulate said in a statement on Saturday.

Nur Muhammad said he was one of 57 Afghans who were arrested on Saturday by Iranian border guards as they tried to cross the border into Iran in search of work.

"After they tortured us, the Iranian soldiers threw us all in the Harirud River," he told Reuters.

Another eye witness, Sher Agha, said he also survived the incident and indicated that at least 23 out of 57 who attempted to cross had died in the river.

"The Iranian soldiers have warned us that if we do not throw ourselves into the river, they will shoot at us," he added.

Watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CdzKSmp67U

The incident could cause a diplomatic crisis between Iran and Afghanistan at a time when the Corona pandemic caused a mass exodus of Afghan immigrants from Iran, many of whom were infected with Covid-19.