NRC Calls for Urgent Aid as Families Displaced by Pakistan-Taliban Clashes in Eastern Afghanistan Face Floods and Freezing Conditions

KABUL : The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has issued an urgent appeal for humanitarian assistance to support thousands of Afghan families recently displaced by cross-border fighting between Taliban forces and the Pakistani military. In a statement released on Friday, the NRC warned that intensifying violence along the eastern border has forced entire communities to flee with little notice, leaving them without adequate shelter, food, or security.

According to the NRC, many of the displaced are now living in flimsy, poorly equipped tents or abandoned structures, often in remote areas with limited or no access to basic services—including clean drinking water, sanitation facilities, and emergency healthcare. The aid group stressed that immediate emergency support is critical to meet the most basic survival needs, especially as winter approaches.

The appeal comes as heavy seasonal rains and widespread flooding continue to devastate parts of southern and eastern Afghanistan. These climate-related disasters have compounded the suffering of families already fleeing violence, worsening living conditions for vulnerable populations and placing immense strain on already overstretched local communities and aid providers. In some areas, floodwaters have destroyed makeshift camps, forcing newly displaced families to move again.

Recent border clashes triggered by Pakistani airstrikes and retaliatory ground operations in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces, including Kunar, Nangarhar, and Khost have caused fresh waves of displacement in regions that have long endured insecurity, militant activity, and minimal state support. While the Taliban-led government has asserted control over most of the country, border areas remain volatile, with regular skirmishes exacerbating an already fragile humanitarian situation.

Afghanistan is also grappling with overlapping humanitarian crises: decades of conflict, recurring climate shocks (droughts and floods), extreme poverty, and mass return movements with hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees forced back from Pakistan and Iran since 2023. These pressures have left millions of people entirely dependent on foreign assistance, yet humanitarian funding remains critically low.

The NRC warned that without swift intervention, the situation will deteriorate further for families already displaced multiple times by both conflict and natural disasters. The organization called on international donors and relevant authorities to prioritize flexible, rapid-response funding to prevent a larger catastrophe.

“We are seeing families who have lost everything again,” said an NRC spokesperson. “They need shelter, warm clothing, clean water, and medical care now. Every day of delay pushes them deeper into survival mode.”

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