10 Afghans killed as Iran border guards open fire

KABUL,- A total of 10 Afghan nationals were killed after Iranian border guards opened fire on them along the border in western Afghanistan’s Farah province as they attempted to illegally enter the neighboring country, said a statement from the provincial police office on Tuesday.

Provincial police spokesman Mawlawi Mohammad Nasim Badri said in the statement that the Afghans, all residents of Farah province, were trying to sneak into Iran when the Iranian border guards opened fire, killing them on the spot.

Two others remain missing following the incident, the official added, without providing more details. Iran has expelled thousands of Afghans since early this year and has asked foreign nationals living in the country without legal documents to leave. Despite this, many Afghans continue to leave their homeland daily to escape unemployment and poverty.