'We are dying every moment' - the Afghans risking their lives to reach UK

The archetypal clip Azaan made the leap crossed the wall, helium broke his arm.

Braving the 20ft (6m) driblet into a wide trench beneath is, for galore Afghans, the lone mode to transverse into Turkey from Iran - and yet hundreds hazard it each day.

“I was successful terrible pain,” the erstwhile Afghan service serviceman told the BBC.

“Several others had breached limbs. The smuggler near america present and told america to tally successful the absorption of the lights of Van city. Many of america were fading retired of hunger. I fainted.”

The partition - which stretches for astir 300km (185 miles) - was built to forestall amerciable crossings, and is patrolled perpetually by Turkish borderline forces.

Jumping disconnected it is among the archetypal of a bid of bonzer risks Afghan migrants instrumentality arsenic they transverse continents, countries and seas to scope the UK and different countries successful Europe.

Over the past year, fleeing their state has go much perilous than ever earlier for Afghans, due to the fact that Pakistan, Iran and Turkey person intensified their crackdown connected amerciable migration from Afghanistan on their borders, and person besides carried retired wide deportations.

Azaan couldn’t continue. He was successful pain, and had hardly eaten successful days. The migrants were fixed conscionable 1 boiled ovum each greeting and a cupful of atom successful the evening by smugglers who’d charged them astir $4,000 (£3,150) for the travel to Europe.

“I had 2 friends – we had made a committedness to not permission each other,” helium says. His friends tied scarves astir him, hoisted him up the wall, backmost into Iran. Iranian constabulary deported him to Afghanistan.

It was Azaan’s 2nd failed attempt. The archetypal clip helium returned from the Afghanistan-Iran borderline due to the fact that he’d taken his woman and young children along, and helium realised they wouldn’t beryllium capable to endure the journey.

Azaan didn’t springiness up. Roughly a twelvemonth later, erstwhile his limb had healed, helium made a 3rd attempt.

“I had sold my location earlier. This clip I sold my wife’s jewellery,” helium says.

In speech for the money, migrants similar Azaan are promised a way to Europe, handed implicit from 1 radical smuggler to different on the way.

Back astatine the wall, the smuggler placed a ladder connected the Iranian side, and chopped the razor ligament astatine the apical to make a way for migrants.

“There were 60 to 70 of us," Azaan recalls. "We climbed to the apical and past the smuggler told america to jump.”

For the instrumentality and authorities graduate, who served his state and led a dignified, comfy beingness until August 2021 erstwhile the Taliban seized powerfulness successful Afghanistan, it is simply a humiliating concern to beryllium in.

In its 3 years successful power, the Taliban authorities has imposed increasing, brutal restrictions connected women. According to the UN, a 3rd of the country’s radical don’t cognize wherever their adjacent repast volition travel from. And those who worked for the erstwhile subject fearfulness reprisal.

“The radical I fought against for 20 years are present successful power," helium explains. "Our lives are successful danger. My girl won’t beryllium capable to survey erstwhile she turns 13. And I person nary work. I’ll proceed to effort to permission adjacent if it costs maine my life.

"Here we are dying each moment. It’s amended to dice once, for good."

Azaan is present backmost successful Kabul with his family. The 3rd effort to fly ended with a beating and deportation.

“They bushed maine with the butt of a gun. One lad was deed connected his genitals. He was successful a unspeakable state. An aged man’s limb was broken. There was a corpse successful the trenches successful Turkey. This is what I saw. But Iran is besides treating america badly. I cognize Afghans person been severely beaten successful Iran too,” helium says.

After weeks of digging done radical smuggling networks, the BBC established interaction with an Afghan smuggler successful Iran, aiming to get an penetration into the accrued dangers Afghans are facing.

“Iranian constabulary are shooting a batch astatine the borderline with Afghanistan. One of my friends was killed recently,” the smuggler says, speaking to america implicit the telephone from Iran.

In October, Iran was accused of firing indiscriminately astatine Afghans crossing implicit into Iran’s Sistan state from Balochistan successful Pakistan. The UN has raised concerns and called for an investigation. The BBC has seen and verified videos of the dormant and injured.

Sistan-Balochistan is 1 of the large routes taken by Afghan migrants to participate Iran, but fixed the accrued risks arsenic good arsenic Pakistan’s wide deportation of Afghans, galore are present opting for different routes, successful particular, Islam Qala successful Afghanistan’s Herat province.

Once successful Iran, migrants determination to Tehran earlier going towards the Macu oregon Khoy counties, to effort the crossing into Turkey, handed implicit from 1 smuggler to another.

The Afghan smuggler says helium hides migrants adjacent the borderline wall, and past they hold until there’s little patrolling of a information of the borderline partition to instrumentality a changeable astatine the “game”. He carries a ladder, and a ligament cutter to chopped the razor ligament astatine the apical of the partition and marque a way for migrants. He says crossings person go highly challenging successful caller months.

“The Turkish constabulary drawback 100 to 150 migrants each night. They person nary mercy connected them. They interruption their arms and legs,” helium says.

The BBC has enactment the allegations to the governments of Turkey and Iran but has not yet received a response.

We asked the smuggler however helium tin warrant his amerciable concern which endangers the lives of Afghans, portion charging them thousands of dollars.

“We don’t unit radical to instrumentality these risks. We archer them that whether they get to their destination is 99% successful God’s hands, and they could get killed oregon imprisoned. I don’t judge I’m guilty. What are we expected to bash erstwhile radical archer america their household is going bare successful Afghanistan?” the smuggler says.

Those who marque it past Turkish information forces determination from Van towards Kayseri metropolis and past to the Izmir, Canakkale oregon Bodrum coasts - the adjacent constituent of peril connected the migrant trail.

In Kabul, an aged begetter took america to the sedate of his son. In his twenties, Javid was a erstwhile soldier. Fearing for his beingness successful Taliban controlled Afghanistan, helium fled the state successful an effort to marque it to the UK.

In March this year, helium was among 22 radical killed aft the rubber dinghy they were successful sank successful the Aegean oversea adjacent Canakkale successful Turkey, arsenic they attempted to get to Greece. His large woman was besides among the 46 radical squeezed connected to the boat. They some managed to aquatics to the shore, but helium died of hypothermia.

“From Istanbul, smugglers took america to Esenyurt. From determination we were packed into cars similar animals. We were dropped disconnected successful a forested area. We walked done it for 4 hours and past we reached the seashore from wherever we were enactment connected the boat,” Javid’s woman says, speaking to america implicit the telephone from Turkey wherever she’s inactive living.

In Kabul, Javid’s begetter broke down inconsolably arsenic helium showed america photos of the young antheral with abbreviated achromatic hairsbreadth wearing way pants and a sweatshirt, posing connected a parkland bench.

“Even present erstwhile I retrieve him the grief is specified that it’s lone with God's blessing that I past the torment,” helium says.

He believes that overseas countries which fought successful Afghanistan carnivore work for what is happening to Afghans similar his son.

“We fought alongside them successful the warfare against terrorism. If we had known we would beryllium betrayed and abandoned, nary 1 would person agreed to articulation hands with overseas forces.”

According to the UN, Afghans are among the apical asylum seekers successful the world, and successful the UK they are the 2nd largest radical arriving successful the state successful tiny boats, different travel fraught with peril.

The UK has 2 resettlement schemes for Afghans. One is for Afghans who worked straight for the British subject and British government, and nether the 2nd strategy – the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) - those who assisted the UK efforts successful Afghanistan, stood up for values of democracy, women’s freedoms and radical astatine hazard tin beryllium eligible for relocation.

But aft the archetypal signifier of evacuation successful 2021-22, advancement has been highly slow.

This means women similar Shahida, who worked successful the erstwhile parliament of Afghanistan and participated successful thoroughfare protests against the Taliban aft they seized power, could not find timely ineligible routes retired of the country. Shahida feared the menace of detention and torture by the Taliban authorities successful Afghanistan each day.

She arrived successful the UK successful a tiny vessel successful May this year, having begun the travel retired of Afghanistan much than 2 years ago. Now successful Liverpool, she has applied for asylum.

“I travel from a well-known and well-respected family. I’ve ne'er done thing amerciable successful my life. When authorities would apprehend america during the journey, I would look down retired of shame,” she says.

Shahida describes however she crossed the English Channel connected an inflatable dinghy, packed successful with 64 people. This twelvemonth has been the deadliest twelvemonth for migrant crossings crossed the Channel. More than 50 radical person died.

“There was h2o up to my waist. And due to the fact that our usher mislaid the mode we floated for hours. I thought this was going to beryllium the extremity of my life. I’m diabetic truthful I had to urinate sitting there. And due to the fact that I was thirsty I had to portion the h2o I had urinated in. Can you imagine? In Kabul I had everything. My full beingness has been taken distant from maine due to the fact that the Taliban took over,” she says.

Back successful Kabul, Azaan, the erstwhile subject officer, present wants to merchantability a tiny spot of land, the lone plus helium has left, to stitchery wealth to marque different attempt.

“This is the lone intent of my beingness now, to get myself to a safer place.”

All names person been changed.

Additional reporting by Imogen Anderson and Sanjay Ganguly.