UNHCR assists IDP families in Balkh

13 August 2012 - The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Provincial Department of Repatriation and Refugees (DoRR) have begun distributing humanitarian aid packages to about 450 families who fled their homes because of insecurity in the Alburz and Chimtal districts of Balkh province.

"If only security were not an issue we would never abandon our homes and lands, and the most shocking thing is that Taliban are taking our boys by force to join them, they take our sons to Pakistan and bring them back as suicide bombers," said Faiz Mohammad an IDP from Alburz district. "The insurgency made it unsafe for my family to stay in their homes. I am so thankful of the UN's assistance in these difficult times, while government has done nothing for us so far."

So far this year UNHCR has assisted almost 2,100 families who have been displaced in the north and northeastern regions. It is expected that hundreds of more families will begin receiving aid in the coming months. Other UN agencies have also been supporting these displaced families, including the International Organization of Migration (IOM) and the World Food Program (WFP).

Up to now Balkh province has been known as a relatively peaceful region in Afghanistan. Yet recently some of its districts have begun facing more threats and operations conducted by insurgents. Throughout the country about 450,000 Afghans have been driven from their home and are displaced.