UN Warns of Growing Crisis as 66,000 Flee Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Fighting

‘The Village Has Become Empty’: UN Warns of Growing Crisis as 66,000 Flee Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Fighting

Nearly 66,000 people have been displaced in Afghanistan following a week of intense and deadly military clashes along the disputed border with Pakistan, the United Nations has reported, warning that the escalating violence threatens to plunge vulnerable communities deeper into humanitarian crisis.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) issued an urgent alert on Wednesday, detailing the “growing humanitarian impact” of the worst cross-border hostilities between the two neighbors in years. Heavy shelling and explosions have rocked eastern and southeastern Afghanistan, with the agency reporting civilian casualties, damage to critical infrastructure, and a mass exodus from frontline areas.

“These developments risk further displacement, accelerating returns, and exacerbating vulnerabilities in communities that are already overstretched and under-resourced,” the IOM said in a statement.

The fighting, which flared along the 2,640km (1,640-mile) Durand Line, began after Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities launched an operation against Pakistani military positions. The Taliban stated the action was in retaliation for deadly Pakistani airstrikes in late February. Pakistan has defended its strikes as necessary to prevent armed groups from using Afghan soil to launch attacks on its territory, following a period of heightened tensions.

Both sides are reporting starkly different versions of the conflict’s toll. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence claimed on Wednesday that its forces shot down a Pakistani drone and seized control of seven border posts. The ministry also reported a heavy civilian toll, stating that 110 people, including 65 women and children, have been killed since the fighting began, with a further 123 wounded. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has, however, verified a lower, though still significant, civilian death toll of 42.

Pakistan has not commented on the Afghan civilian casualty figures. Military claims are also sharply divided, with each side presenting vastly different counts of enemy combatant fatalities—a situation that makes independent verification impossible.

In a sign of Pakistan’s strategic aims, Rana Sanaullah, a key political adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, told Geo TV that while most operational targets, including “training centres,” had been eliminated, the military campaign was ongoing. He stated that Pakistan seeks “verifiable evidence” that its demands to prevent cross-border attacks from Afghan territory will be met.

A Humanitarian Catastrophe in the Making

The violent border clashes are colliding with a pre-existing and severe humanitarian disaster. The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) warned earlier this week that over 46 districts across Afghanistan were already grappling with “severe food insecurity” before the latest escalation.

The fighting has forced a suspension of vital aid. The WFP announced on Tuesday that it had temporarily halted emergency food distributions, school feeding programs, and livelihood support across the affected provinces. “Approximately 160,000 people have been impacted by the suspension of emergency food distributions,” the agency stated, leaving already hungry populations without a safety net.

The human cost is being etched into the fabric of border communities. In the northeastern province of Kunar, the once-bustling village of Sirkanay has been emptied by the violence.

“Thousands of families have left the village,” Asadullah, a 30-year-old labourer, told AFP news agency. “In some houses, only one person has stayed to guard the home, and the rest have left. The village has become empty.” He added that the constant shelling has made it impossible for residents to reach the market, cutting off their only source of supplies and further deepening their desperation. As the sounds of explosions continue to echo along the Durand Line, the international community faces a rapidly deteriorating situation where conflict and hunger are pushing a displaced population to the brink.

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