Kabul, July 1 -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has reported that over 5,000 unaccompanied children have returned from Iran to Afghanistan through the Islam Qala border crossing, TOLO News reported.

Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF's representative in Afghanistan, said that 150,000 individuals crossed back into the country through Islam Qala just in the month of June.

"In the month of June only, 150,000 returns have been recorded across the border in Islam Qala. Twenty-five per cent of these are children, many of whom are families, female-headed households, and in a very, very difficult situation. For us as UNICEF, we've seen more than 5,000 separated and unaccompanied children, and that comes with all the vulnerability of exploita...