433 Afghan inmates freed from Pakistan, Iraq in past week

A total of 433 Afghan inmates imprisoned in Pakistan and Iraq have been released and repatriated to their homeland over the past week, Afghanistan's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced late Thursday.

The ministry's statement detailed that 430 individuals detained in Pakistan crossed back into the country via the Spin Boldak border in southern Kandahar province. An additional three detainees, who had been held in Iraq for six months, returned through the Pul-e-Abreshim crossing in western Nimroz province.

This follows the repatriation of 170 Afghan inmates in late October.

According to the data from the Afghan Foreign Ministry in July, more than 10,000 Afghan nationals remain incarcerated overseas, predominantly in Iran and Pakistan.