Thousands Flee Their Homes in Afghanistan as Taliban Offensives Intensify 

WASHINGTON / MEHTAR LAM, AFGHANISTAN - Thousands of families are fleeing their homes amid intensified Taliban offensives in several provinces, as the United States and NATO began withdrawing their remaining forces from Afghanistan on May 1.  

"Most of those displaced are from the provinces of Helmand, Kandahar, Baghlan and Laghman," said Sayed Abdul Basit Ansari, a spokesman for Afghanistan's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation. "They fled their houses due to the escalation in violence."  Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can download this video to view it offline. Ansari said that in Laghman province, which has witnessed heavy fighting between the Taliban and the Afghan government forces in recent weeks, 6,000 families have fled their homes.   The Taliban captured a district in Laghman and launched an assault on Mehtar Lam City, the provincial capital, last week.