KABUL, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- A total of 131 Afghan prisoners were released from Pakistani jails over the past week and have safely returned to Afghanistan, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced Thursday.

The ministry's news release stated that the freed detainees had been held in various prisons across Pakistan.

The returnees, after receiving assistance at the border, were transported to their home provinces, it said.

This release is part of a broader trend, with 9,951 Afghan nationals repatriated from prisons in Pakistan and Iran over the past year, according to the ministry's report in late July.

There are over 10,000 Afghan citizens remain incarcerated abroad, primarily in Iran and Pakistan, as reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in July. ■