UN: 80% of Afghan Refugees Fleeing Taliban Are Women and Children

The ongoing crisis in Afghanistan has "all the hallmarks of a humanitarian catastrophe", World Food Programme (WFP) spokesman Tomson Phiri said at a press briefing at the UN in Geneva on Friday.

The Taliban completed their sweep of the country's south on Friday as they took four more provincial capitals in a lightning offensive that is gradually encircling Kabul, just weeks before the U.S. is set to officially end its two-decade war.

In just the last 24 hours, the country's second - and third-largest cities - Herat in the west and Kandahar in the south - have fallen to the insurgents as has the capital of the southern Helmand province, where American, British and NATO forces fought some of the bloodiest battles of the conflict.

During the press briefing on Afghanistan, WFP spokesperson Phiri said the conflict "has accelerated much faster than we all anticipated".

Shabia Mantoo, a spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said Afghanistan is also set to witness "the highest ever number of documented civilian casualties in a single year since records began".

The UNHCR is particularly concerned the about the impact the conflict is having on women and girls, who make up 80% of those roughly 250,000 who had fled the country since the end of May.

"This is a staggering statistic," Mantoo told journalists, before adding "the situation needs attention, these people need support".

A joint UN human rights office (OHCHR) and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) report published in July found more women and children were killed in the first half of this year than in any year since records began.

"Since the beginning of the year, nearly 120,000 Afghans have fled from rural areas and provincial towns to Kabul province," Mantoo said.

Fadela Chaib, World Health Organization spokesperson, said a major concern for her organisation is trauma, "aggravated by the recent escalation in violence".

"The trauma cases that we see at health facilities, we don't know what's happening in the communities, have increased by 30%," Chaib said.

Jens Laerke, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokesperson, said "The deal that we have in Afghanistan is with the Afghan people, with the civilians, and we are there to stay and help them."

Laerke said internally displaced persons who have to flee to major urban areas typically find family and friends, though this is not the case this time, with people sleeping in the open.

"We are assessing their needs. We are in contact with them," he said.

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[roamanxo]

But 80% of Afghan refugees arriving in Europe are young men.

[DigitalDeath]

Yeah, one man with multiple wives and kids....We've heard this all before then saw the images of healthy young men just walking through the open gates into europe...

[yesungsohn]

300, 000 Afghanis in the national military trained & equipped by the west vs 80, 000 taliban. To me it looks like government corruption and ineptitude from the Afghani government more at fault than the US/NATO to me 🤷‍♂️

[meyer]

It doesn't help that we're leaving the enemy billions of dollars worth of weapons and equipment, however I agree that it's not our job to police the world, we have plenty of our own problems at home.

[thelonerider]

"80 percent fleeing taliban are women and children". Given how the Taliban treats women and children this is not a surprise.
Still a tragedy tho.

[RoseCrimson]

Your people must stand and fight or help will not come. American just can't stay forever

[machoman]

Because men are not allowed to leave the country and aren't granted asylum and help by the UN or foreign governments. I pray for all the males in Afghanistan 🙏

[cyrussaenz]

If you have 3 kids and the mother and father, take out the father and thats 80%

[thehonorablejiveturkey]

How could one not know this story was coming

[ibmxrok]

US spends billions on trying to rebuild Afghanistan.
Punchline: Afghans never wanted US there in the first place.

[woodycoat]

Notice how wealthy Saudis, Kuwaiti, UAE, Brunei are nowhere to be found never helping people of their fellow religion. This is their problem, not the U.S., 's, not Europe's

[dustinharnden]

So they can now flee to anywhere but the U.S..

[bobporch]

We are withdrawing our troops as we send in 3, 000 more to protect the embassy . FUBAR!

[farmerjohn]

We did these folks a disservice -by staying so long. We need a prime-directive on non-interference in certain types of societies. Let them find their own way.

[bigbango]

I just saw the airplane scene, don't get me wrong... But I couldn't see ONE woman...

Maybe there are 80% but they will stay there, cause there brave MEN have to leave...


Sick Western DemocRats...

[belami_irl]

I hope the women get out before it’s too late. 😰💔

[CaddyJim]

The Afghans were trained using US Air Force we needed a retracted withdrawal where we pull out of one area and allow the Afghans to defend that area against the Taliban and do that piece by piece by piece not all at once

[sberrysb]

Cuz all the men already left for Europe

[Trome]

Well better than military aged men who seem to be the only ones swarming across our southern border.

[smartpmark]

LoL!!! Oh yes.. 80 percent women and children. I have seen them.. a lot of them are going bald and shave twice a day.