KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has called for urgent humanitarian assistance for thousands of families displaced by ongoing clashes between Taliban fighters and Pakistani forces in eastern Afghanistan.
In a video message on Friday, the NRC said thousands of families have fled their homes, many living in makeshift tents or informal shelters without access to basic services such as food, water, and healthcare.
“Urgent humanitarian support is critical to help them meet their most basic needs,” the aid group said.
A NRC representative who visited displaced families in Momand Dara district of Nangarhar province described dire conditions on the ground. “They do not have access to clean water, food, or sanitation. Coordination is needed to respond to this new emergency because people there have nothing,” the representative said.
The NRC did not give an exact number of displaced people. However, earlier reports from the World Food Programme (WFP) and Save the Children estimated that at least 20,000 families, including 68,000 children, have been displaced in eastern Afghanistan in recent weeks. Many of these families are now relying on temporary shelters in remote areas, struggling to meet basic needs amid harsh conditions.
Border clashes have intensified since late February, with Pakistani airstrikes and artillery targeting locations across eastern and southeastern Afghanistan. The violence has worsened existing humanitarian challenges and forced more families from their homes.
The new wave of displacement adds to overlapping crises in Afghanistan, including ongoing conflict, climate-related disasters such as floods and drought, widespread poverty, and mass return movements from neighboring countries. These crises have left millions dependent on international assistance.
The United Nations estimates that nearly 22 million people, around 45% of Afghanistan’s population, require aid this year, with women and children making up the majority of those in need.
UN agencies and aid groups have repeatedly called for increased and sustained funding to assist people facing urgent humanitarian needs across the country, warning that delays could worsen suffering and increase the risk of disease and malnutrition.
