200 000 Afghan refugees return home

More than 200 000 Afghan refugees have been repatriated from Pakistan this year, nearly half of them in September alone, UNHCR said on Tuesday, the highest number since the US toppled the Taliban in 2002.

The tsunami of refugees returning to the war-torn country comes after Pakistan tightened its border controls in June and began cracking down on undocumented Afghans.

The vast majority - more than 185 000 - returned after July, with nearly 98 000 crossing the border in September alone, UNHCR spokesperson Qaisar Khan Afridi told AFP.