Rising tensions and cross-border fighting between Pakistan and the Taliban are worsening humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan, particularly in the east, the International Organization for Migration said.
The agency said the clashes have displaced nearly 66,000 people in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan, while also causing civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure.
The clashes come as Afghanistan is already facing one of the world’s largest displacement crises linked to returning migrants. According to the agency, more than five million Afghans have returned to the country over the past two years, including 2.6 million in 2025 alone, placing heavy pressure on communities with limited resources.
Any further displacement caused by the fighting could strain local services, border facilities and humanitarian operations, the organization warned.
The agency also confirmed that one of its transit centers in Nangarhar province had sustained significant damage during the recent hostilities. Border operations at the Torkham and Bahramcha crossings have been suspended because of security concerns, restricting humanitarian access and slowing the delivery of aid.
Aid workers say people returning to Afghanistan often arrive at border crossings in urgent need of shelter, protection services and basic assistance. Those vulnerabilities increase significantly during periods of active conflict.
The escalation is also affecting internally displaced families in Kunar province, many of whom were already living in temporary settlements after being uprooted by a recent earthquake. Shelling, evacuation orders and limited access for aid groups have raised the risk that many of those families could be displaced again.
Restrictions on humanitarian access have also delayed the delivery of essential aid, increasing risks for vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls, the agency said.
The organization urged all parties to ensure the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers.
“The protection of civilians, humanitarian personnel and facilities must be upheld at all times,” the agency said, adding that safe and sustained humanitarian access is essential to continue life-saving assistance.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that because access to the affected areas remains limited, casualty figures from the border clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan cannot yet be independently verified.
Some migrants and displaced people on both sides of border say the fighting has left them in a state of uncertainty and anxiety.
Mohammad, a resident of Khost, said his family fled after the fighting intensified.
“When the war started in Khost, we fled out of fear and came to Daikundi to stay with relatives,” he said. “Seventeen of us are living in one small room. Everything we had was left behind. We escaped with only the clothes we were wearing.”
Tamim, an Afghan migrant in Pakistan, said the situation had become increasingly difficult since the clashes began.
“Since the fighting started, our situation here has become very bad,” he said. “We have been told we must leave Pakistan. With the war and the border closures, this is very difficult for us, and we are worried about what will happen.”
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has also warned that continued fighting and restrictions on movement at border crossings have severely reduced humanitarian access, forcing some aid organizations to suspend assistance to vulnerable populations.
