France, Oct. 14 -- As Taliban forces hit back at Islamabad over alleged air raids inside Afghan territory, waves of refugees returning from Pakistan are struggling to rebuild their lives in Taliban-run Afghanistan.

On 11 October, Taliban forces launched armed "reprisals" against Pakistani troops, accusing Islamabad of carrying out airstrikes inside Afghan territory.

Amid this climate of hostility, convoys of Afghan families continue to stream back across the border - many of them expelled from Pakistan, others from Iran - in a surge of forced returns that is raising alarm among aid workers and humanitarian agencies.

Their arrival at Spin Boldak, in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province, takes place under chaotic conditions and these...