By: Suraya Raiszada
The escalation of war and its spread into the provincial capitals has caused displacement of thousands of families from their homes in some restive northern and southern provinces of the country. Only, in the past five months, 57,000 families have been displaced as fighting and violence intensified by the Taliban militants, according to the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriates.
“The number of displaced people may be more than that and may have been deregistered due to the war,” the ministry’s deputy spokesman said.
Reza Baher, the ministry’s deputy spokesman told The Kabul Times that after the Taliban attacks on districts and cities, families have fled their areas and sought refuge to the safer places under the government control.
According to him, the statistic has increased in recent months as the Taliban attacks intensified in the major cities and that in the last 15 days, up to 5,300 families have fled their main areas and relocated to the safer parts of the country.
In the past five months, 57,000 families have been displaced by war and violence, according to the spokesman.
The Taliban fighters attacked the city of Sheberghan, the capital of Jawzjan province, for several days now, and all offices in the province have been closed and the provincial Department of Refugees has not been able to register and survey the entire displaced people in recent weeks.
According to them from the Jawzjan Refugee Directorate, in the past week as Taliban attacks have intensified, residents fled their homes and taken refuge in safer areas under the government control.
Akhtar Mohammad, a resident of Jawzjan province who fled to Kabul along with his family and lives in a rented house, said he had lost all his properties and fled war and violence and spend their live with difficulties. He called on the government to address their situation and pave the way for their return.
Most of Kunduz, Helmand, Takhar and Sar-e-Pul provinces are reportedly under Taliban control and the people will face severe problems if their provinces were not cleared of the militants.
The ministry’s deputy spokesman said the ministry has assisted a number of families, but with the escalation of the war, the process has face challenges.
The Taliban militants have intensified their attacks on parts of the country as the new solar year begins and this after the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country.
Experts believe that with the deteriorating security situation, increase in suicide attacks, escalation of fighting between government forces and the militants have caused people leave provinces.
They asked the government to support them financially and pave the way for their return.
Organizations such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Program (WFP) and others are currently assisting the internally displaced people (IDPs), with the Ministry of Refugees as a coordinator and overseer.
Earlier, the Independent Human Rights Commission (IHRC) reported that the number of people displaced by the war had risen this year and 62,480 families have been displaced in the last six months due to the ongoing war and violence by the Taliban.
It is to be noted that it is the harvest season of agricultural products in most provinces of the country and more families have reportedly left their homes and these products are feared now to be destroyed.
According to official statistics, from May 1 to July 15 this year, more than 2,900 security incidents occurred across the country.
As a result of the security incidents, more than 17,600 Taliban fighters, security forces and civilians have been killed and the average death toll has increased over the past two and a half months.
President Ghani recently said that the Taliban have no will to make peace, so he has a plan on the table to change the security situation in the next three to six months.
At the same time, security institutions say that the level of violence in the country has increased after the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Interior Ministry spokesman Mirwais Stanekzai told media that the Taliban militants have harmed civilians during their attacks on the districts and in many areas, they killed innocents. Fawad Aman, the deputy spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said that security forces were working day and night to prevent Taliban attacks and offensives, and that the group had suffered heavy casualties and would soon be defeated in the provinces they have now under control.
