18 September 2017•Update: 19 September 2017
By Shadi Khan Saif
KABUL, Afghanistan
Fresh violence in five districts of Afghanistan forced more than 50,000 people to flee their homes last month, the UN said Monday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest report that up to 35,000 people have been uprooted in two provinces -- Badghes and Faryab -- this September, due to clashes between militants and security forces.
More than 250,000 people have fled their homes due to conflict in Afghanistan since January, the report added.
Large groups of armed militants stormed district centers in Faryab, Badghes, Ghazni, Paktika, Paktiya and Logar provinces last month, in a bid to capture them.
Though some of the targeted districts briefly fell to the Taliban, and were later recaptured by the security forces, the intensity of the fighting forced a large portion of the population to flee.
Dominic Parker, country head of the UN organization, said that a reassessment of the changing military development and humanitarian situation is taking place in Afghanistan.
“President Trump has announced a new strategy for Afghanistan, and is sending more troops to continue the United States’ longest war in history,” he said.
“The UN has recently acknowledged the changes in the country and now characterizes Afghanistan as a country in conflict rather than one emerging from post-conflict. This means that life-saving humanitarian action is poised to become ever more important,” he added.
Aid workers continue to face danger in delivering services in Afghanistan. Last week, a female Spanish physiotherapist associated with the International Committee of Red Cross was killed in Balk province.
Abduction and kidnapping, in particular of foreigners, by both militants and criminals is a recurring phenomenon in Afghanistan.
