UNITED NATIONS, Muharram 03, 1438, October 04, 2016, SPA -- The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) said Tuesday that more than 200,000 Afghan refugees have been repatriated from Pakistan this year, nearly half of them in September alone, the highest number since 2002. The flood of refugees returning to the war-torn country comes after Pakistan tightened its border controls in June and began cracking down on undocumented Afghans. UNHCR spokesperson Qaisar Khan Afridi told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the vast majority – more than 185,000 – returned after July, with almost 98,000 crossing the border in September alone. “From January until today, the number of refugees voluntarily repatriating to Afghanistan has crossed the figure of 200,000,” Afridi said. More appear to be going each day, with officials saying that the first four days of October saw up to 5,000 returnees daily. UNHCR cited an array of reasons that could be helping drive the rush back in Afghanistan, including increasing anxiety and insecurity for refugees about life in Pakistan. Other factors include the UNHCR decision to double its cash grant for voluntary returnees from $200 to $400 per individual in June, and a campaign by the Afghan government to lure its citizens back with the slogan “My country, my beautiful country.” --SPA 20:06 LOCAL TIME 17:06 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w