Huge rise in Afghanistan IDPs as thousands flee Taliban advance

At least 244,000 people internally displaced since May, says UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Afghanistan is seeing an enormous rise in the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) since the withdrawal of foreign troops began in May, according to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). At least 244,000 people have been internally displaced since the beginning of May, when the Taliban group began multiple offensives against the Western-backed Afghan government, an increase of more than 300 percent compared with the same period last year. According to the report, most of the people are fleeing from northeastern and eastern Afghanistan. Nearly all lack adequate shelter, access to medical care and sufficient food, it said.