Farah and Herat, Afghanistan: When Abdul Jabbar left for Iran, he never imagined he would return to Afghanistan. He had spent years building a life there, but the war and economic turmoil made work increasingly difficult and pushed his family to leave.
“To be honest, I really didn’t want to come back to Afghanistan,” Jabbar said. “I used to say that even if Afghanistan was only two streets away, I would not go.”
He eventually returned to Afghanistan after fear spread during the conflict, hoping his home country could offer greater security and opportunities.
Instead, he has found little work. He says he fears his family could struggle to survive.
“Here, we might die of hunger. It would be better to die in a war than from hunger,” he said.
For his daughter Setayesh, the return has also meant giving up her education. She had studied for eight years in Iran and now helps the family with sewing and other household work. “If I could, I would go back to Iran for my education, for my friends, and for my comfort,” she said. “I would go back so that I can continue my education.”
In neighbouring Herat, another returning family is trying to rebuild a small pizza-cheese business after losing much of their savings in Iran.
Home-based cheese factory owner Rezwana Jami said restrictions on buying basic supplies, including milk, made it impossible to continue production in Iran. After returning to Afghanistan, the family restarted the business on a much smaller scale.
But the return came at a heavy financial cost. Her son Mohammad Saeed said the family lost about two-thirds of the value of their savings after converting Iranian currency back into Afghanis.
At the Islam Qala border crossing, returnees described similar pressures, saying rising prices and declining incomes had made life increasingly difficult in Iran.
“When we first went to Iran, there was plenty of work, life was affordable, and we felt safe,” said Sayed Jawed Qazi Khani, another returnee. “But now, everything has changed.”
For some, returning home was not a choice but the result of circumstances beyond their control.
Now, as families cross back into Afghanistan carrying their belongings, many face a difficult question: how to rebuild a life in a country they once left in search of a better future.