Afghans protest after videos allegedly show Iranians beating refugees

Dozens of Afghans chanting "Death to Iran" protested Monday outside  Tehran's consulate in the western city of Herat after videos allegedly  showing Afghan refugees being beaten by Iranians went viral over the  weekend.

Iran, which hosts more than five million Afghan  refugees, has seen a fresh influx of Afghans entering the country since  the Taliban stormed back to power last August.

But on Monday,  angry Afghans staged protests in Herat and some other cities against  Tehran after videos showing alleged Iranian border guards and Iranian  mobs beating Afghan refugees in Iran circulated on social media networks  over the weekend, though it was unclear when the images were filmed.

One  video seemed to show Iranian border guards beating Afghan refugees in a  room, while other footage appeared to show a group of Iranians dragging  and beating refugees in a compound in Iran.

The authenticity of these videos could not be independently verified.

"Death  to Iran! Iran is a killer state!" chanted protesters as they gathered  outside the Iranian consulate in Herat, an AFP correspondent reported.

Protesters burnt the Iranian flag and broke CCTV cameras installed at the consulate before dispersing.

"Where  are the human rights organisations? They are beating our people... but  nobody is raising a voice," said Shakib, a protester in Herat.

Hours  after Monday's protest in Herat, Iran's foreign ministry in a statement  on its website called on the Taliban authorities to provide "the  necessary guarantees for the safe operation of these missions" in  Afghanistan.

The Iranian embassy in Kabul on Sunday had dismissed  the beating videos, saying they were "baseless and invalid" and aimed  at harming the historical relations between the two countries.

It further said that Iran's border forces had the authority to prevent any foreigner from illegally entering the country.

On  Monday, a similar anti-Iran protest was held in the southeastern city  of Khost, and a demonstration was staged outside the Iranian embassy in  Kabul.

Since the Taliban seized power, Afghanistan has plunged  further into economic crisis, pushing even those without links to the  former Western-backed government to scramble for an exit.

Thousands  of people daily try to cross into neighbouring Iran in search of work,  or in a bid to reach Europe in the hope of asylum.

Iran, which shares a 900-kilometre (550-mile) border with Afghanistan, has so far not recognised the Taliban government.