IOM Tracks Afghan Returnees From Pakistan in Latest Report

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has released its bi-weekly Flow Monitoring of Afghan Returnees report covering 16 to 30 September 2026. The report documents the movement of Afghan nationals returning from Pakistan to Afghanistan. It is the latest instalment in a monitoring exercise that tracks returns through designated crossing points.

What does the report measure?

IOM's flow monitoring counts people crossing the border, records where they come from and gathers basic profiles of returning households. Field teams stationed at crossing points conduct short interviews with returnees during the two-week window. The exercise produces a standing evidence base rather than a one-off snapshot.

The bi-weekly format allows humanitarian agencies and governments to spot changes in movement patterns quickly. Each report covers:

• The number of returnees recorded at monitored crossing points
• Demographic details collected in interviews
• Trends compared with previous reporting periods

The report does not itself change any rule or border procedure. It records what is already happening on the ground.

Who uses this data?

The primary audience includes humanitarian organisations planning assistance for returnees, plus Pakistani and Afghan authorities managing border flows. Aid groups rely on the counts to size food, shelter and transport responses at reception points.

For policy analysts, the series serves as one of the few consistent, regularly updated sources on return movements between the two countries. Analysts typically read it alongside Pakistani government statements on foreign nationals and residence enforcement.

Why the monitoring continues

Returns of Afghan nationals from Pakistan have run at significant volumes since Pakistan moved in late 2023 to press undocumented foreigners to leave. IOM set up its flow monitoring framework to keep an independent count as those movements continued.

The 16-30 September 2026 edition extends that record. Readers should consult the report itself for the exact figures, which the summary headline does not carry.

The takeaway: the numbers in this report tell aid agencies and governments how many people are crossing, in which direction, and how fast.