TAJIKISTAN: Afghan Refugees Ordered to Leave

On 9 July 2025, the Tajik government ordered all Afghan refugees to leave within 15 days. Tajikistan hosts around 13 000 Afghan refugees, the largest number in Central Asia. Most of the refugees fled their homeland when the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021. Some of the Christian refugees have been active in spreading the Gospel to the displaced Afghan population in Tajikistan. “Please pray for these refugees,” said a Front-Line Worker who worries about what could happen to Afghan Christians if they are forced back across the border. They could be arrested and charged with apostasy, which carries a death sentence, or they could be killed immediately for their faith. Male members of some Christian families have already been deported back to Afghanistan, and no one knows what happened to them. Their wives and children would have no means of survival if sent back to Afghanistan.

• Pray for the families of the men who have already been deported back to Afghanistan. Pray for the safety of these men as well.

• Pray for all the Afghan refugees in Tajikistan, that God would be with them, protect them and provide for them. Pray for them to stay strong in the Lord and to be of good courage.