Alert Note: Escalation of Afghanistan–Pakistan Border Hostilities Triggering New Internal Displacement in Eastern and South-Eastern Afghanistan

Since late February 2026, intensified cross-border hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan have triggered a sharp spike in Afghanistan’s protracted humanitarian crisis. Artillery shelling, airstrikes, and ground clashes along the Durand Line have displaced approximately 16,370 families (around 114,590 people) across eastern provinces including Khost, Paktia, Paktika, Nangarhar, Kunar, and Nuristan. Many displaced families are currently sheltering in temporary locations, informal settlements, or with host communities, often with limited access to basic services such as shelter, healthcare, water, and sanitation. Rapid field assessments conducted by Saifrood Unity and Aid Organization (SUAO), together with information from UN OCHA and humanitarian partners, confirm large-scale displacement and urgent humanitarian needs in affected border districts. Vulnerable groups—including women, children, elderly persons, persons with disabilities, and female-headed households—face heightened protection risks and limited access to assistance. The figures presented are based on the most recent verified information available at the time of reporting. However, humanitarian access to several affected areas remains limited and assessments are ongoing; therefore, the current estimates may not fully capture the total number of displaced and affected people. Immediate humanitarian support is required to address urgent needs—including emergency shelter, multipurpose cash assistance, healthcare, WASH services, and protection support—while larger humanitarian response mechanisms are being mobilised.