Belarus FORCES a stream of Afghan migrants into the EU: Putin-ally president Alexander Lukashenko is 'attempting to create a humanitarian crisis in the EU' as part of 'blackmail' plot

  • Poland has sent soldiers to its border with Belarus to stop stream of migrants from Afghanistan and Iraq
  • The Eu has condemned Belarus for its 'aggressive behaviour' over illegal migrant border crossings
  • In a statement, the body declared that the crossings were a 'direct attack' on EU stability
  • Migrant movements spiked from Belarus after sanctions were slapped on the country following election

Poland is sending soldiers to its border with Belarus to stop a stream of Afghan and Iraqi migrants that are being forced across the border as part of a 'blackmail' plot by the country's President who is an ally of Vladimir Putin.

It comes after fellow EU member Lithuania released video footage of body armor-clad Belarusian soldiers pushing a group of migrants across the border onto their territory. 

The migrants are believed to have made their way into Belarus overland through either Russia or Russian-controlled Eastern Ukraine after making it out of Afghanistan to Iran on a well-trodden people smuggling route. 

Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki vowed Thursday that his country would stand firm and block migrants, mostly from Iraq and Afghanistan, who have been seeking to enter from neighboring Belarus. 

He said: '(The migrants) are people with whom I sincerely sympathize, but they are an instrument, a tool in the hands of Mr. Lukashenko,' Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, told a news conference.

He vowed that Poland would not succumb to 'this type of blackmail.'

Hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to the border and at least 60 miles of barbed wire have been laid as Poland seeks to prevent the migrants from entering.

Several dozen people, mainly from Iraq and Afghanistan, have been wandering for several days in the border zone, near the town of Usnarz Gorny. Polish authorities do not want to let them in while Belarus doesn't want to let them back.

Fundacja Ocalenie (Salvation Foundation), a humanitarian group that sent activists to the border, said there were 32 people from Afghanistan there, among them women and sick people.

The foundation posted a photo of migrants being surrounded by Polish border guards and soldiers. One showed what they said was people from Afghanistan who had carried a cat with them.   The Lithuanian border force has released footage in which shows Belarus police in riot gear violently pushing migrants over their border

The Lithuanian border force has released footage in which shows Belarus police in riot gear violently pushing migrants over their border 

Belarusian border guards stand behind migrants believed to be from Afghanistan sitting on the ground in the small village of Usnarz Gorny northeastern Poland after they were forced over the border by  Belarus

Belarusian border guards stand behind migrants believed to be from Afghanistan sitting on the ground in the small village of Usnarz Gorny northeastern Poland after they were forced over the border by  Belarus

Armed members of Belarusian security forces do not let them return to Belarus while Polish border guards and army officers prevent them from continuing their journey across Poland

Armed members of Belarusian security forces do not let them return to Belarus while Polish border guards and army officers prevent them from continuing their journey across Poland

The migrants are believed to be continuing their journey to Western Europe after making it into Iran on a well-trodden smuggler trail 

Thousands of Afghans are fleeing the country every day, smugglers have said, mostly on three routes all of which begin in Herat - a smuggling hub. The most direct, expensive, and dangerous route goes from there to Tehran via a crossing at Kohsan where migrants have to swim a deadly river, but stand the least chance of getting caught. A second route goes south to Zaranj before the crossing into Iran, to a safehouse in Kerman. From there, the migrants are taken to Tehran when the coast is clear of guards. The third and most-common route goes via Pakistan to Iran - it is the cheapest, but has the largest chance of capture

Thousands of Afghans are fleeing the country every day, smugglers have said, mostly on three routes all of which begin in Herat - a smuggling hub. The most direct, expensive, and dangerous route goes from there to Tehran via a crossing at Kohsan where migrants have to swim a deadly river, but stand the least chance of getting caught. A second route goes south to Zaranj before the crossing into Iran, to a safehouse in Kerman. From there, the migrants are taken to Tehran when the coast is clear of guards. The third and most-common route goes via Pakistan to Iran - it is the cheapest, but has the largest chance of capture

The European Union has also condemned what it called Belarus' 'aggressive behaviour' in organising the illegal border crossings with migrants into Latvia, Lithuania and Poland with the aim of destabilising the 27-nation bloc.

So far this year, more than 4,100 asylum-seekers, most of them from Iraq, have illegally crossed from Belarus into Lithuania. 

That's 50 times more than during all of 2020 and they're being sheltered in temporary camps across the Baltic EU member.

It comes after the Lithuanian border force released video footage in which it claims Belarusian police officers in riot gear illegally pushed migrants over their border. 

Poland said Wednesday it had deployed nearly 1,000 troops to its border with Belarus to help border guards cope with a surge of migrants - again mostly from Iraq - who were trying to enter the country.

'This aggressive behaviour is unacceptable and amounts to a direct attack aimed at destabilising and pressurising the EU,' said a statement by Slovenia, which holds the bloc's rotating presidency until the end of the year, after emergency talks among the bloc's interior ministers.

'The European Union will need to further consider its response to these situations in order to increase its effectiveness and to deter any future attempts to instrumentalise illegal migration in this manner,' the statement said.

The migrant movements spiked dramatically after the EU slapped sanctions on Belarus officials. 

In the footage, a line of migrants could be seen being directed by a large group of police personnel

In the footage, a line of migrants could be seen being directed by a large group of police personnel

Mateusz Morawiecki vowed Thursday that his country would stand firm and block migrants, mostly from Iraq and Afghanistan , who have been seeking to enter from neighboring Belarus

Mateusz Morawiecki vowed Thursday that his country would stand firm and block migrants, mostly from Iraq and Afghanistan , who have been seeking to enter from neighboring BelarusA long row of police officers, donning riot gear and holding shields could be seen in formation in the footage

A long row of police officers, donning riot gear and holding shields could be seen in formation in the footage

The migrant movements spiked dramatically after the EU slapped sanctions on Belarus officials. The measures were imposed after President Alexander Lukashenko (pictured) ordered a crackdown on opponents and protesters after claiming victory in a vote last year that the West denounced as rigged

The migrant movements spiked dramatically after the EU slapped sanctions on Belarus officials. The measures were imposed after President Alexander Lukashenko (pictured) ordered a crackdown on opponents and protesters after claiming victory in a vote last year that the West denounced as riggedThe measures were imposed after President Alexander Lukashenko ordered a crackdown on opponents and protesters after claiming victory in a vote last year that the West denounced as rigged. His main election challenger fled to Lithuania.

Slovenia said EU nations are 'determined to take all necessary measures to effectively protect all the EU external borders, by counteracting Belarus' aggression.'   

The issue has become more acute in the light of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan that was completed on Sunday, with many Afghans trying to flee the country, fearing reprisals.

EU member states are nervous about a replay of Europe's 2015/16 migration crisis when the chaotic arrival of more than a million people from the Middle East stretched security and welfare systems and fuelled support for far-right groups.

The ministers, without direct reference to Afghanistan, said there was 'a need to strengthen the entire external border' of the EU to prevent illegal crossings in the future.

No details about how that might happen were provided.

Many of the migrants were believed to have arrived in Belarus by plane on commercial flights from Iraq. Those flights have stopped for now, perhaps in part due to the EU's threat to impose visa restrictions on Iraqi citizens and officials.

Still, Lithuania's border guard released video footage on Wednesday which it said reveals that migrants are being pushed across the border into EU territory by Belarus riot police. 

Another video showed several people cross into Lithuania and immediately return to Belarus to be filmed by Belarus officials.

After talks with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte on Wednesday, EU Parliament President David Sassoli accused Lukashenko of 'exploiting these poor people, men and women.'

'I have seen these outrageous actions when officials push people across the border. It is both an issue of human rights, and also a question of protecting the border of the EU,' Sassoli said. 'It is an organized activity of the Lukashenko regime.'

On Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas accused Lukashenko of launching a 'hybrid attack' against the bloc by channelling migrants to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland in retaliation for the EU's sanctions.

Kallas said 'this is no refugee crisis, but this is a hybrid attack on the European Union.'

Merkel said she would raise the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday. 

Belarus depends heavily on Russian energy supplies and Moscow has authorized loans to prop up the country's beleaguered economy.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been fleeing their homes in Afghanistan with thousands being smuggled out of the country each day, which has sparked fears of a new refugee crisis. 

Poland said Wednesday it had deployed nearly 1,000 troops to its border with Belarus to help border guards cope with a surge of migrants. Pictured: File image of Lithuanian army soldiers installing razer wire on its border with Belarus on July 9, 2021

Poland said Wednesday it had deployed nearly 1,000 troops to its border with Belarus to help border guards cope with a surge of migrants. Pictured: File image of Lithuanian army soldiers installing razer wire on its border with Belarus on July 9, 2021

An Afghan family on August 12 at the border crossing with Pakistan in Spin Boldack waits to cross after the border was shut when the Taliban took control of it

An Afghan family on August 12 at the border crossing with Pakistan in Spin Boldack waits to cross after the border was shut when the Taliban took control of it

Smugglers in the city of Zaranj - a border crossing between Afghanistan and Iran that was captured by the Taliban two weeks ago - say the number of people looking to leave the country has trebled in recent months.

One smuggler, speaking to MailOnline, said that on a 'good day' he takes now 150 people across the border to Tehran compared to 50 in recent years - with many hoping to escape Iran into Turkey and then onwards to Europe and the UK, where they intend to claim asylum. 

Most migrants make their way to the smuggling hub of Herat before they are either taken north to the Khosan border crossing with Iran, or south to Zaranj.

The northern route is the most expensive and also the most dangerous - with migrants forced to swim a river and then crawl for two hours to avoid security cameras - but carries the least risk of getting caught. A second route goes from Zaranj directly into a Iran and to a safehouse in Kerman, before a final journey to Tehran.

The third route - the cheapest and most commonly used - goes into Iran via Pakistan, then to Kerman and Tehran. It is also the safest route, but carries the greatest chance of getting caught.

Armed members of the Polish Border Guards arrive at the border with Belarus as the country attempts to stem the flow of migrants being transported in

Armed members of the Polish Border Guards arrive at the border with Belarus as the country attempts to stem the flow of migrants being transported in

The armed soldiers arrived near the border with Belarus on 20 August, 2021 in Usnarz Gorny, Poland

The armed soldiers arrived near the border with Belarus on 20 August, 2021 in Usnarz Gorny, Poland

Frontex, the EU's migration agency, said just yesterday that migration through the Balkans almost-doubled in the first half of this year compared to last, driven mostly by an increase in Afghans and Syrians. That prompted Greek migration minister Notis Mitarachi to warned the EU is 'not ready' for another migrant crisis.

The Foreign Office and Border Force refused to comment about whether they fear an influx to Britain of Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban. 

Speaking previously to the MailOnline by phone from Zaranj, one smuggler said: 'I and my team here used to send around 50 or even fewer people to Iran on our pickup trucks each day for years it now stands at 100 or 150 on a good day.

'I should thank Trump, Biden and the Americans. Many of these people are highly educated, sometimes I regret sending them out, but it may save their lives.

'We are responsible for getting these people to Teheran, and our job ends there.

'But I know through talking with many of them that their final destination is not Iran. Many have plans for Europe in their heads. Thousands are being sent out of Afghanistan each day through this city.'

But the perilous 1,500 mile journey across Iran holds its own dangers for the refugees as they must negotiate mountain ranges and canyons as they head west.

One migrant who spoke to MailOnline before leaving Afghanistan for Iran told us his final destination was Italy.

A second said he would go anywhere, but admitted that the UK would be top of his list, saying: 'That's always my favourite – I may decide to go there if possible.'

The smuggler explained the circuitous route followed by the caravan of pickup trucks carrying the migrants.

'We board around 20 to 25 people to each pickup, then we go through the desert towards the Pakistani border.

'After the border, we switch vehicles and hand over to our Pakistani colleagues. They transfer the people to near the Iranian border.

'This first stage takes around 24 hours. The drivers go as fast as possible. before reaching Iran, the people will have to walk for 3 hours, until they pass a deep ditch that the Iranians dug to mark the border.

'Once in Iran, the migrants board another vehicle and again speed through the Iranian desert, usually to the city of Kerman where the smugglers have guest houses. They lie low until the road is quiet with few security forces. Then they board around 12 people in each Peugeot pickup and head for Teheran. Added the smuggler:

'In the capital, again we have guesthouse, where we hold the refugees until they pay our money. After their relatives send us money, we let them go.'

The whole journey depends on the situation along the road, some days, they reach Teheran in three days and some in five.

It costs around 3 to 3,5 million Iranian Toman [$130] per person. Other smugglers will handle the journey from Teheran to Van in eastern Turkey.

But the climate in Turkey is becoming increasingly hostile for the refugees, with right-wing political parties threatening to 'send home' the refugees, whether Syrian, Kurdish or Afghan, who have swelled their population already.

A forbidding 3-metre high Trump-style concrete wall is being built on the border near Van and will stretch for 40 miles along the rugged borderland.

Along its length will be so-called 'smart towers' equipped with infra-red detection devices to spot people moving at night.

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