A report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies has warned that a new Afghan refugee crisis could make the displacements of 2015 look like a “geopolitical walk in the park.”
Senior Fellow at the CSIS, Erol Yayboke, says that the current 2.6 million figure of displaced Afghanis worldwide could easily double over the next 2 years.
“Unless the U.S. and its partners sufficiently respond to this next big refugee crisis, millions of displaced Afghans in 2021 could make the 2015 migration crisis seem like a geopolitical walk in the park,” the report asserts.
Yayboke went on to state that while in 2015 over one million alleged asylum seekers reached Europe from across the Middle East and North Africa, the number of Afghans alone heading to the West this time “could eclipse even these peak figures.”
According to the UN and various humanitarian aid workers, as many as 3 million Afghan asylum seekers could attempt to make their way towards Europe in the short term in the wake of the Taliban taking control of the country.
“We can assume that up to three million Afghans will make their way to Europe in the foreseeable future,” said humanitarian aid worker Sybille Schnehage speaking to German broadcaster WDR
“I always ask people: Why don’t you go to Saudi Arabia? They are Muslims. This is your culture. The answer is always: “No, Germany is better.””
In addition, Belarussian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has been accused by EU countries of carrying out a “direct attack” on Europe by sending waves of migrants towards the continent as revenge for Western sanctions against his regime.
Belarussian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has been accused by EU countries of carrying out a “direct attack” on Europe by sending waves of migrants towards the continent.#gripthttps://t.co/JzSQTJCXkx
— gript (@griptmedia) August 19, 2021
“We will not hold anyone back,” Lukashenko said at the time of the sanctions, referring to migrants.
“We are not their final destination after all. They are headed to enlightened, warm, cozy Europe.”
Belarus has been accused of flying Iraqi migrants to Minsk before driving them north to drop them off at the border where they can then cross into EU territory.