Amnesty International: Displacement of Over One Million Afghans Inside Afghanistan

On Tuesday, June 1, Amnesty International issued a statement announcing that the number of Afghans displaced within Afghanistan has doubled in the past three years. According to the statement, the number of Afghans who have left their homes due to ongoing conflicts and struggles in their country has reached 1.2 million. Amnesty International also warned that the lack of basic living services and facilities in Afghanistan has made life extremely difficult for the people, pushing them to the brink of starvation. As stated in the Amnesty International statement, displaced Afghans lack access to housing, water, food, healthcare, and suitable work and education. Furthermore, the conditions for internally displaced Afghans have worsened since the global crisis in other parts of the world has drawn international attention and aid flows have shifted towards countries like Syria. Amnesty International urged the global community and the Afghan government to recognize and address the needs of the internally displaced persons in Afghanistan 'before it is too late.' Since the majority of international forces withdrew from Afghanistan at the end of 2014, it seems that the Taliban has also increased its activities, with suicide attacks occurring almost weekly. For instance, Afghan officials announced last Monday that nearly 60 police officers were killed in clashes around the city of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, over the past two days. According to Reuters, Helmand province has witnessed Taliban attacks over the past year, prompting the NATO-led international coalition to send hundreds of additional troops to strengthen Afghanistan's security forces in the region.