TEHRAN- An unprecedented and illegal migration of Afghan people to the province of Sistan-Baluchestan, southeastern Iran, has triggered a new wave of coronavirus in the country, MP Esmaeil Hossein-Zehi said on Monday.

“Over recent days and in the wake of rising violence in Afghanistan, the number of migrants to Sistan-Baluchestan has increased. Unfortunately, a majority of the people enter the country without observing health protocols,” the parliament’s news agency ICANA quoted Hossein-Zehi as saying.

The illegal migration has led to a rise of around 1,000 new cases of infection to coronavirus in the province, he added.

Violence in Afghanistan continues to rise, with the Taliban taking more territory. The rise in violence comes as the U.S. and its NATO allies are withdrawing their troops from Afghanistan after two decades.

As Afghan forces prepare to take charge of security alone, the concern is growing among the people.

Farzana Kochai, a female MP, has said the withdrawal was being carried out irresponsibly.

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen has said many districts had fallen to the Taliban through mediation after Afghan soldiers refused to fight.

Afghan government spokesman Razwan Murad has told the BBC that the government was ready for talks and a ceasefire and the Taliban should now prove that they were committed to peace.

Health Ministry’s spokeswoman Sima Sadat-Lari has said while the country is still grappling with the fourth wave of the disease, a new wave of COVID-19 has emerged due to an outbreak of the Delta variant of the virus that has entered the country from the south and south-east.

The Health Ministry has classified as “red” – the highest category on coronavirus risk scale – the capital Tehran and nine other cities in Tehran province.

The southern and southeastern provinces of Fars, Hormozgan, Kerman, and Sistan-Baluchestan are also now classified as “red”.

MG