16 ered highly unsafe at present. In 2017 Kabul suffered the highest rate of insurgent attacks. Ghazni and Nangarhar, two other areas from which people flee Afghanistan, have also grown more insecure than ever before. Nangarhar has literally turned into the heartland of the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP), consequentially witnessing intense fighting between the Afghan and the insurgent forces and among the various insurgent groups competing over territory in this province, otherwise known as the eastern gateway to Kabul. Ghazni, a conservative place with a significant support base for the Taliban, straddling the North-South highway, has also turned into a priority target for insurgent attacks. In 2017 the Taliban had almost taken over this strategic province, in order to cut off the South of the country from the North with the aim of strangling the embattled Kabul government. This security deterioration was tangible amongst the interviewees: more than 58% (29) of them felt unable or unsafe to return to their communities of origin. Instead, they opted to remain in Kabul. This development unfolded despite UNHCR’s finding, in August 2018, that Kabul did not qualify as an Internal Protection Alternative. In October 2018, Amnesty International also claimed that all returns to Afghanistan amounted to refoulement, in violation of international law.1 AHRDO’s research indicates that only about 30% (15) of the deportees interviewed returned to where they lived prior to their flight. About another 10% (5) still live either in hiding or alternate between a couple of places to escape persecution and risk to their lives. Figure 4 Settlement Patterns after Deportation This diagram illustrates post-deportation settlement pattern among the deportees. This settlement pattern clearly reflects the (real or perceived) security threats faced by the deportees. Travel costs, the financial and employment status of the deportees after the flight The financial cost of being smuggled across multiple international boundaries is very high. Recovery 1. Amnesty International, Index: ASA11/9262/2018, Public Statement, October 2018