ANKARA

Iranian security forces stationed on the border with Afghanistan have been instructed to prevent Afghans from crossing into Iran, according to officials on Wednesday.

Speaking to the Mizan News Agency, Hossein Ghassemi, the general director of the interior ministry’s border affairs, said the border area with Afghanistan was subject to serious restrictions in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, taking into account the developments in Afghanistan.

He noted that security forces stationed in the provinces of South Khorasan, Sistan-Baluchistan and Razavi Khorasan were instructed to "prevent Afghans who want to enter Iran".

Around 3 million Afghan citizens moved to live in Iran during the last four decades.

After the Taliban took control of the country, many Afghans began to flee their country.

After quickly overrunning smaller administrative districts and provincial hubs, the Taliban fighters on Sunday entered the Afghan capital Kabul and seized power, taking the country’s reins for the first time in almost 20 years.

The government quickly folded, with President Ashraf Ghani and other key officials fleeing for safety abroad.