ISLAMABAD, Dec 21: Refugees are flooding back into Afghanistan ahead of the appointment of a new interim government, confident it is safe to return to their farms, homes and businesses, the UNHCR said Friday.

“The numbers of ... returns to Afghanistan through the (southern) Chaman border crossing is increasing and this trend is likely to continue,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokeswoman Maki Shinohara.

“The returning refugees have told our staff there that they are very much hopeful for their future in Afghanistan,” she told a press conference.

“They said they were willing to go back when the security situation improved, and when they believed they could get some assistance when they returned.”

Shinohara said most of the returnees were from the Taliban militia’s former stronghold of Kandahar, and had fled the US-led coalition bombing campaign that was sparked by the September 11 terrorist attacks.

“The ones we are seeing returning now are not the poorest of the lot. They are returning to the Kandahar area now that the bombing has stopped. They’re taking the chance that it might be safer to return,” she said.

“They would have properties to secure, they want to go back and check up on their families.”

Refugee movement was also heightened by celebrations marking the end of Ramazan when many people on both sides of the border had journeyed to visit relatives, she said.

“Yesterday, the numbers were very big and today it really peaked again,” Shinohara said, adding that the number of people entering Pakistan also rose, although the numbers were lower than those returning.

“What it shows is that the situation is still very volatile,” she said.—AFP