Number of Afghans Displaced Internally Reaches to One Million: ARCS

Nearly one million people have been displaced by war from all across Afghanistan, Afghan Red Crescent Society said on Saturday.

Afghan Red Crescent Society says the number of internally displaced for the current year is unprecedented comparing to the past four years.

“Around one million people have been displaced this year and which is an unprecedented figure,” said Merwais Akram, head of Afghan Red Crescent Society.

Meanwhile, UN Commissioner for Afghan Refugees expresses concern over the return of Afghans from the neighboring countries and the displaced people of insecure provinces.

“UN commissioner is concerning over the return of Afghan refugees from the neighboring countries and the displaced people of the insecure provinces of Afghanistan,” said deputy commissioner of UN in refugee affairs.

While the displaced people and returnees criticize the government, but the ministry of refugee complaint over the lack of financial resources.

“We have a number of plans for displaced people and returnees to not face a humanitarian disaster in the upcoming winter, but we do not have enough financial resources,” said Sayed Alemi Balkhi, minister of refugees.

The war in Afghanistan killed or wounded a record 11,000 civilians last year  a quarter of them children taking the total toll to 60,000 since the United Nations began compiling the data in 2009.

The conflict against the Taliban, now in its 15th year, has cost the U.S. more than $700 billion and killed more than 2,300 American soldiers.

Afghanistan has one of the highest refugee populations in the world, estimated at 2.6 million people living outside its borders. Last year, some 178,000 Afghans risked their lives on the dangerous journeys to reach European shores and apply for asylum, Amnesty’s report said.