This year Frontex, the EU border agency, has backed the return of nearly 50 individuals to Afghanistan. Presented as voluntary returns, these cases are managed inside Afghanistan by Irara, a little-known Belgium-based NGO led by figures from the UK private security industry.

The disclosures arrive as the European Commission seeks to ease ties with the strict Taliban government, aiming to enable deportations to a nation scarred by prolonged conflict and ruled by authorities facing charges of widespread repression and rights abuses.

Frontex chief Hans Leitjens informed EUobserver that forced returns to Afghanistan remain impossible for now, yet he kept the option open based on security conditions and requests from the EU and its members.

"That might be the case, I do not know yet," he stated earlier this month in Brussels.

Following Taliban visits to Brussels in June, a profitable deportation sector that now covers Afghanistan has expanded steadily for months through Frontex's EU Reintegration Programme (EURP).

Frontex states the EURP delivers vital financial and logistical aid to migrants heading home. It achieves this through cooperation with local groups and NGOs, the agency notes.

Its leading NGO collaborator is Irara, which emerged as the biggest non-state recipient of Frontex money last year. The group obtained about €39m in 2025 after securing €19.5m the prior year.

Established in 2017 by Jeremy Aldridge and Jason Ollivent, Irara has witnessed sharp growth in its equity and assets as the EU and member states increase deportations under updated return regulations.

Lynda Ollivent and Melanie Aldridge later joined as directors, indicating the body may operate as a family enterprise spanning 36 countries.

Alongside the financial gains, Jeremy Aldridge spent over 13 years at Serco, the UK multinational, where he supported expansion of its immigration services division.

Irara managing director Danny Spencer previously served as a UK prison governor and held roles at Mitie Care and Custody Ltd, a firm handling immigration detention and escort work.

Although active in Afghanistan since at least 2021, Irara's public website omits any reference to its Frontex partnership there. It instead highlights work in Nigeria, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Vietnam.

"Irara is our partner in Afghanistan," said Chris Borowski, Frontex spokesperson, when asked to verify the arrangement.

Running from a mailbox office near the European Commission in Brussels, the NGO saw its total equity rise from just over €16,000 in 2021 to nearly €8m in 2024.

Its total assets climbed from €3.57m to €15.46m within one year, likely reflecting amounts owed by Frontex and other official clients.