250,000 displaced Afghans return to native provinces

More than 250,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) have returned to their provinces across Afghanistan since the Taliban's takeover in mid-August last year, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations of the Afghan caretaker government said on Friday, reports Xinhua.

"Over 250,000 IDPs have been shifted via ground transportation to their main provinces during the past six months," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that efforts were underway to address the problems of the remaining IDPs in the country.

Over 550,000 Afghans out of nearly 7 million Afghan refugees and asylum seekers have returned home, mostly from Iran and Pakistan, during the past six months, according to the statement.

Since the start of 2021, nearly 360,000 people have been displaced by conflicts, and about 5.5 million people have been displaced since 2012, according to figures provided by Afghan officials.