About 68,000 children in eastern Afghanistan have been displaced by escalating clashes between Taliban and Pakistan, forcing many from their homes and disrupting education and aid services, according to Save the Children.
The organization said the fighting has affected roughly 134,000 people and forced the suspension of some humanitarian programs, including health, nutrition, child protection and education services.
Hundreds of classes and temporary learning spaces have been closed, leaving more than 8,000 children supported by Save the Children and its partners currently out of school, the group said.
The displacement follows clashes that began in late February along parts of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. According to the United Nations, at least 56 people have been killed and more than 120 injured since Feb. 26, with most casualties reported to be women and children.
Families fleeing violence
Many families have fled the fighting with few belongings, seeking shelter with relatives or in temporary accommodations.
Nasim, a hotel cook who fled the fighting with his two children, said the family left most of their belongings behind when they escaped their home in eastern Afghanistan.
“When my children go out of the house, I’m terrified that a bullet might hit them,” he said. “Now, if we find something, we eat; otherwise, we sleep with an empty stomach.”
The violence has also disrupted humanitarian operations, the agency said.
About 160,000 people have been affected by the suspension of food assistance after World Food Programme paused distributions in areas affected by the clashes, Save the Children said.
Some families have also been displaced for a second time after losing their homes during a deadly earthquake in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces in August 2025. Around 49,000 people remain displaced from that disaster, the organization said.
Calls for ceasefire
Save the Children said the conflict is worsening an already severe humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, where millions rely on aid.
“Tens of thousands of children have lost everything that gives them stability and security,” said Arshad Malik, the group’s Asia regional director.
“They have been forced from their homes, cut off from education and healthcare and stripped of protection.”
He urged all parties to de-escalate the conflict and protect civilians, particularly children, and called for an immediate ceasefire.
Save the Children said it has provided health services to more than 6,000 people in affected areas so far, including deploying mobile health teams.
