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VAN, Turkey — The paths of refugees and drug traffickers have crossed at the porous Iranian-Turkish border, the route of tens of thousands fleeing Afghanistan, with growing indications that refugees are being forced to carry drugs.
Turkey has seen an unprecedented influx of Afghan refugees since the Taliban took over Afghanistan last year amid the hasty US withdrawal, with Ankara often under fire for failing to prevent the illegal entries from Iran. The Afghans cross Pakistan and Iran to reach Turkey’s eastern border and are often joined by migrants from Pakistan and other Asian countries as they make their way across the mountainous frontier with the help of human traffickers.
