The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) said Monday that 45,000 Afghans sought asylum in European countries during the first half of 2024.

In its latest report on asylum trends for the first six months of 2024, the EUAA stated that by the end of July, a total of 513,000 people from around the world had applied for asylum in European countries.

The EUAA said in its report that while the total number of asylum applications remained steady compared to the first half of last year, some variations were observed.

During this period, 71,000 Syrians made asylum requests, making them the most significant applicants in Europe.

The report also highlighted that Afghan asylum seekers predominantly applied in countries like Germany, Greece, France, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy.

The number of Afghan asylum applications to European countries decreased by 18% compared to the same period in 2023.

Additionally, the report emphasized that European Union member states accepted approximately 65% of Afghan asylum applications.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that foreigners living in the country illegally will be returned "with respect".

In the first press conference after his inauguration as president, Pezeshkian said that so far three Security Council meetings have been held on the issue of Afghan immigrants.

"Some of them have passports, they have connections. Naturally, they should be treated in a particular way. Some of them have come against the law, and they have to follow legal framework. One cannot enter illegally. There is a framework for presence in any country, even in Islamic countries. For example, if we go to Afghanistan without a passport, they might not let us in,” he said.

"As I have already said, we are brothers but following a series of frameworks between governments is a rule that we must follow, and we are in the process of setting this legal framework between Islamic countries,” he added.

The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR estimates that nearly 4.5 million Afghan nationals currently live in Iran. According to Iranian news agencies, however, the real number could be as high as 6 million or 8 million.

Acting Minister of National Defense Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid has warned the military that if army members engage in administrative corruption or neglect their duties, they will face demotion, imprisonment and dismissal.

Speaking at the conclusion of a reform seminar for 100 inspectors of the army, he said that the Defense Ministry’s leadership carefully reads the reports of the inspectors before making a decision.

He warned that if someone was found to have engaged in corruption or neglect of duty based on these reports, he will face serious action, including demotion, imprisonment or dismissal.

Mujahid also asked the members of the army to spare no efforts in serving the people and protecting the country.

"Try not to neglect duty," he said. “Do the task that is assigned to you according to the standard that has been told.”

According to military experts, Afghanistan needs both trained forces and advanced military facilities and equipment to overcome security challenges.

“Training should be based on the accepted standards of modern armies, not guerrilla training or things that are backward and not useful today,” Asadullah Nadim, a military expert, said. "If the modern training program is not applied to the army, then the army will ultimately fail."

In the past three years, the Islamic Emirate has made a huge effort to reform regular security forces and has been able to have regular personnel in the Ministry of National Defense, Interior Affairs, and General Directorate of Intelligence.