The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday said that he is "appalled" by reports that say Afghan migrants were “abused, tortured and drowned” by Iranian border guards. His comments come a day after the Afghan government announced that a joint Afghanistan-Iran team would probe the incident.
Over 50 Afghan migrants were trying to cross the border when they were “tortured and drowned” by Iranian guards, according to eyewitnesses. An Afghan official on Wednesday said that so far 16 of the Afghan nationals have been rescued, 18 to 20 are missing, and 16 bodies have been found.
Pompeo said this happened when Afghans “dared to cross the border simply in search of food and work.”
He called on the Afghan government to open a “full investigation” and hold perpetrators accountable.
In the same press conference, Pompeo said “anyone conducting business with Iranian entities should exercise extreme caution to ensure that they are not working with the IRGC,” referring to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Force.
Pompeo also remarked: "I’d like to take this moment to commend our German friends for banning Hezbollah and taking strong action against suspected Hezbollah supporters. I hope that all other European Union member states will follow,” he added.
Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Haneef Atmar, on Wednesday, said he had a “tense interaction” with Iranians over this matter. But later in the day, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said the Iranian government had agreed to a joint probe into the incident.
The Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry rejected Pompeo’s remarks, saying some people are trying to disrupt Kabul-Tehran ties by making conspiracies.
“We extend our condolences to their families but we should remember that some are seeking to damage the (Kabul-Tehran) relations and the current situation in the region or between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan,” said Sayed Abbas Musavi, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Meanwhile, a number of Kabul residents staged a protest outside Iran’s embassy in Kabul on Thursday, calling for the punishment of the perpetrators while criticizing Afghan political leaders for their “silence.”
“All of them came here to the Iranian embassy and extended their condolence on (Gen. Qassem) Suleimani’s death, but they are silent on the blood of 57 Afghans,” said Payenda Mohammad Akbari, a protestor.
Another protestor, Humayun Zaran, who has a history of living in Iran as a refugee, said the Iranian government should compensate the affected families.
“The Afghan government is responsible for its citizens and it should ask for clarity and compensation from the Iranian government for the "brutal killing" of Afghan workers,” said Zaran.
A similar rally was held in the city of Herat in the west of Afghanistan, a province that shares a border with Iran.
“This issue should be followed thoroughly and responsibly and the results should be shared with the people,” said Farkhunda Zahra Naderi, a former presidential adviser.