Despite the fact that Afghan citizens are constantly being arrested for illegally crossing Bulgaria's borders, the number of refugees is expected to increase sharply over the next two months, according to the Agency for Refugees with the Council of Ministers.

"There has been no refugee exodus from Afghanistan to Bulgaria since the start of the U.S. attacks," said Daniela Veleva, spokesperson of the agency on Tuesday. "The flow of refugees is within its normal limits."

She noted, however, that the agency expects that there might be more refugees coming from Afghanistan, but some time later. "People need about 30 or 40 days to move from Afghanistan to Bulgaria, depending on the way they travel," she explained.

Last Friday, 25 Afghans were found in the home of Dimiter Dalev in the village of Radovets, near the border with Turkey, announced lieutenant colonel Gospodin Hristov, head of the regional border sector in Svilengrad.

The group crossed the Bulgarian border illegally early on October 18, and hid in Dalev's home. Dalev is currently under arrest. Three more people with links to the illegal trafficking of people across the border were detained near Dalev's home. Hristov said that the detainees were being questioned. He added that some of the Afghans hold international passports and have Pakistani visas and Turkish entry stamps.

"The Afghans who file applications for refugee status should not be confused with those who cross our border illegally," Veleva underlined. According to Lora Lyubenova, spokesperson for the National Border Police Service, in the first six months of 2001, border police officers detained 164 Afghan citizens who were trying to illegally enter Bulgarian territory.

The data from the Agency for Refugees shows a noticeable increase in Afghans seeking refuge in Bulgaria over the past two years. While the numbers for 1998 and 1999 were 261 and 277, respectively, in 2000, 675 people filed applications. From January to September this year, 746 Afghan citizens have filed applications for refugee status.

For the first three weeks of October, this number is 102. Only four of these 102 applicants have been granted status, the rest have received some kind of humanitarian aid. According to Veleva, most Afghan refugees to Bulgaria are running from the Taliban regime in their country.

She said that refugees from Afghanistan come to Bulgaria because of the country's geographical position. "We are the first country, along with Greece, that refugees from the East encounter," she said.

"If we notice an increase in the number of refugees coming from Afghanistan, we will immediately notify the government," she said, and explained that soon an interdepartmental committee will be formed to work on the issues of accommodating refugees and determining how many Afghans can be allowed to enter and stay in Bulgaria.