Fierce fighting on Pakistan border displaces nearly 66,000 Afghans: UN reports

United Nations Agency Reports on Escalating Violence Along Afghanistan-Pakistan Border

A recent surge in violence along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan has resulted in significant displacement of civilians. According to the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM), nearly 66,000 people have been displaced in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan due to heavy shelling and explosions.

The IOM has warned that the escalating cross-border hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan are having a growing humanitarian impact on civilians and people on the move. The agency reports that the ongoing military confrontation along the Durand Line has resulted in civilian casualties, damage to critical infrastructure, and displacement of nearly 66,000 people.

The conflict began last week when Afghan Taliban authorities launched an operation against the Pakistani military along the 2,640km border. Pakistan claims the operation was in response to deadly air strikes by the Pakistani military in late February. The Taliban has stated that the operation aims to prevent armed fighters from using Afghan territory to attack Pakistan.

Fighting along the border has ebbed and flowed for a week, with both sides claiming heavy losses and territorial gains. The UN’s Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reports 42 deaths, while Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry claims Taliban forces shot down a Pakistani drone and captured seven border posts. However, Pakistan has not commented on Afghan civilian casualties.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that residents of more than 46 districts across Afghanistan face severe food insecurity before the intensified fighting broke out. The WFP reports that approximately 160,000 people have been impacted by the suspension of emergency food distributions.

Source: Al Jazeera