The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has expressed its serious concern over reports that thousands of Afgan refugees are fighting in Syria after having been lured there by foreign government organizations.
“The Afghan government is addressing the matter through diplomatic channels and has informed the UN High Commission for Refugees accordingly. We are working closely with the Commission in this regard,” said MoFA spokesman Shekib Mustaghni said.
The MoFA is treating the issue with caution, particularly claims of Iran’s alleged involvement. The ministry has warned the misuse of Afghan refugees was against human rights laws.
“The mixture of migration, poverty, addiction to drugs, violence, an unresponsive government and weak interventions of the MoFA and have led to chaos,” said political analyst Jawed Kohistani.
Iranian media have reported that tens of thousands of Afghan citizens are fighting against Bashar Assad opponents in Syria.
According to a report published in Tehran’s Marz-e-Oboor Weekly, the number of the Afghan citizens fighting in Syria ranges between 12,000 and 14,000.
The report quotes Mohammad Mohsen Hussaini, a commander of Afghan fighters in Syria who was killed in a recent clash in that country, and says that every one of the fighters receive $50 USD daily and their families $400 USD per month.
The families of the refugees involved in the fighting are also provided with housing and other facilities, the report stated.
A mother of an Afghan citizen whose son was sent from Iran to Syria and then killed in a fight against Assad’s opponents, said: “My dear Mahdi Jan did not go to a bad place. He was martyred. A martyr is always alive.”
Unconfirmed reports state that if Iranian, Iraqi or Lebanese fighters are arrested in Syria war they were swapped by the warring sides. This however did not apply to Afghan fighters if they are apprehended.http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/25993-mofa-concerned-over-afghans-in-syrian-war
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