A first group of Afghan refugees to arrive at the Iranian border has been housed in a camp set up on Afghan soil, the Iranian Red Crescent said Saturday.
"Following the American attacks against Afghanistan, 25 Afghan families have so far been set up in the Mil 46 camp based on Afghan territory," on the border with the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan Baluchistan, the Red Crescent said.
The Red Crescent also said that "fierce winds, which have blown across the province and blocked main roads, have caused delays in the aid."
Iran decided to close its borders to Afghan refugees after the September 11 terror attacks on the United States and is trying to set up five camps near the border with Khorassan in the northeast, and two or three, near the border with Sistan Baluchistan, all in Afghanistan.
The total capacity of these camps will be around 200,000 people, with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees expecting between 300,000 and 400,000 refugees.
Tehran has made one concession, agreeing to allow sick Afghans to be treated in Iranian hospitals and not just in on-site medical units in the camps -- TEHRAN (AFP)
