COMMON ANALYSIS
Last update: June 2026
The analysis below is based on the following EUAA COI products: Country Focus 2026, 4.8.2., 4.8.6., 4.8.7.; Country Focus 2024, 4.6.1.; Country Guidance should not be referred to as a source of COI.
Turkmens make up 1 % to 3 % of the Afghan population, adhere to the Sunni Hanafi school of thought and predominantly reside in northern Afghanistan.
Uzbeks make up around 9 % of the Afghan population, are Sunnis and belong to the Turkic peoples.
Turkmens and Uzbeks were subjected to deliberate and seemingly organized campaigns by Pashtuns to forcibly evict them from rich agricultural land.
Step 1: Do the reported acts amount to persecution?
The severity and/or repetitiveness of some acts that Turkmens and Uzbeks could be subjected to and whether they occur as an accumulation of various measures, should be considered. For example, ethnic and religious minorities face marginalisation and discrimination in hiring and dismissals procedures for de facto government positions. Turkmen and Uzbek languages have been removed from the official curriculum.
Step 2: What is the level of risk of persecution?
The mere fact of being a Turkmen or an Uzbek would in general not substantiate a well-founded fear of persecution. Should an individual falling under this profile be targeted, it would be related to other circumstances than the mere fact of being a Turkmen or an Uzbek, for example in relation to land disputes. See 3.16.2. Land disputes.
In the case of a female applicant under this profile, it is reminded that in light of the current situation, a well-founded fear of persecution would in general be substantiated for Afghan women and girls.
For additional information, see 3.13. Women and girls