Afghan refugees sit on the top of a truck with their belongings at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) repatriation center on the outskirts of northwest Pakistan's Peshawar, on April 11, 2017, as they prepare to return to their home country. (Xinhua/Umar Qayyum)

 
More than 17,000 Afghan refugees have returned home or been deported since beginning January, the UN's migration agency International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported Friday.

Some 15,550 Afghans returned from Iran in total, including 6,489 who returned spontaneously and 9,061 who were deported, said IOM in a statement.

Afghan refugees have reportedly been facing difficulties in finding jobs in Iran for a long time.

Meanwhile, 443 Afghans have come back home from Pakistan during this period.

"A total of 443 Afghans returned from Pakistan, 388 returned spontaneously while 55 were deported," the statement said.

In addition, 1,629 Afghans have been returned from Turkey without the support of IOM and received post-arrival assistance from IOM, the statement noted.

Fifty-nine Afghans have returned from other countries, excluding Iran, Pakistan and Turkey. Twelve returned voluntarily with the support of IOM and 47 were returned without the support of IOM and received post-arrival assistance from IOM, the statement added.