Sat Sep 20 04:01:51 UTC 2025: **Headline: Afghan Returnees Face New Disaster: Earthquake Devastates Homes Already Upended by Deportation**
**Noorgal, Kunar, Afghanistan –** Already struggling to rebuild their lives after being deported from Pakistan and Iran, Afghan returnees are now facing another devastating blow: a recent earthquake that has destroyed homes and livelihoods in the eastern Kunar province.
Since September 2023, over four million Afghans have returned from neighboring countries. Many like Nawab Din, who fled to Pakistan years ago to escape ISIS, were forced to return amid a crackdown on undocumented foreigners. He and his family were deported after a police raid on their home.
Now, just months after returning to Afghanistan, Din, along with thousands of others, is living in a tent after the August 31 earthquake that killed approximately 2,200 people and destroyed over 5,000 homes.
“We lost everything we have worked for in Pakistan, and now we lost everything here,” Din told Al Jazeera.
Similar stories echo throughout Kunar. Sadat Khan, another returnee, voluntarily returned to Afghanistan due to ill health. The earthquake destroyed the rented home he barely afforded. Khan can no longer work due to lung problems. He and his family are now relying on the generosity of relatives.
The disasters have highlighted critical water and food shortages. Dr. Farida Safi, a nutritionist with Islamic Relief, reports a surge in malnutrition cases among quake victims.
Local authorities are responding, with Governor Mawlawi Qudratullah announcing a new town project with 382 residential plots for those without land or homes in the province. However, the timeline for completion remains unclear, and questions linger about the provision of farmland.
As aftershocks continue, the immediate future for many remains precarious.
First Piper 