Afghan Opposition Figures Gather In Ankara To Discuss Political Future

According to United Nations data, more than 2.8 million people returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan in 2025 alone.

The total number of returnees since September 2023 has exceeded three million.

The UN estimates that if the trend continues in 2026, a further two million people could be returned.

Stephanie Loose, Country Programme Manager for UN-Habitat Afghanistan, said this surge has increased Afghanistan’s population by over 10 percent, a rise that would challenge even more developed countries.

Internal displacement

The UN-Habitat country programme manager said more than 3.06 million people were recorded as internally displaced in Afghanistan between 2021 and 2025, accounting for around 6 percent of the population.

She noted that since 2021, climate change, not conflict, has become the main driver of displacement, with Afghanistan ranking among the 10 most climate-vulnerable countries.

Loose said many returnees arrive with only what they can carry and face highly vulnerable conditions.

“Many returnees arrive with little more than what they can carry. Initially, some try to go to areas where they have family connections, but for many, especially those who have been away for years, those ties have weakened or no longer exist.” she said.

The UN says many then move to cities in search of services and jobs, contributing to the rapid growth of informal settlements.

It estimates that up to 70 percent of urban areas in Afghanistan are now informal and unplanned.

Observations show residents in such areas face severe shortages of housing and limited access to water, sanitation, education and healthcare.

The UN official stressed that the key challenge is the sustainable integration of returnees.

She added that their main needs include housing, land access, water and sanitation, education, healthcare, and, most importantly, livelihoods.

According to United Nations, the fighting has forced some students from their homes, while others can no longer attend school.

In Kunar province, many villages have been emptied of children, and several schools have been destroyed in the conflict.

A report by Agence France-Presse said the clashes have severely damaged schools as well as homes, leaving thousands of children without access to education.

The report said around 22 schools in Kunar alone have been damaged and require reconstruction.

Mohammad Amin Shaker, a school headteacher in Kunar, said children who had been studying are now out of school, and the school building has been destroyed.

Thousands of people have also been displaced and are now living in difficult conditions along the Kunar River.

One displaced resident said children are deprived of education and families are living in poor conditions in tents.

Displaced families have called on the international community for assistance.

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said hundreds of civilians have been killed since the clashes began.

Islamabad accuses the Taliban of supporting anti-Pakistan groups and providing them shelter, claims the Taliban deny. The border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan has remained tense for nearly two months.

International Committee of the Red Cross said in a video report on Friday, April 24, that several trucks carrying emergency aid have reached Kamdesh and Barg-e-Matal districts.

The organisation said displaced families affected by the conflict will receive the assistance.

The aid was delivered in coordination with the Afghan Red Crescent Society and the World Food Programme.

Footage released by the ICRC shows multiple aid trucks arriving in Kamdesh, along with the distribution of supplies to affected families.

Access routes to Kamdesh and Barg-e-Matal had been closed for nearly two months due to recent clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistan.

Earlier, local elders and residents warned of looming food shortages in the two districts.

Following a meeting on April 13, between community elders from Nuristan and Chitral in Pakistan, the route was temporarily reopened.

According to Uzbekistan Railways, the new line increases station capacity, accelerates loading and unloading, and reduces delays along the route.

The company said Afghanistan plays a key role in linking Central Asia with South Asia, and Naibabad station could become a major hub for transporting goods from countries such as Russia, Kazakhstan and China to markets in Pakistan and India.

It added that freight volumes between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan are rising, with the Hairatan–Naibabad–Mazar-i-Sharif route becoming an important corridor for regional trade.

The project is part of Uzbekistan’s efforts to modernise railway infrastructure in Afghanistan and strengthen transit links. Naibabad station, expanded by Uzbekistan, was previously reopened in 2024 after reconstruction.

Noorullah Noori made the remarks on Thursday, April 23, during a gathering in Badakhshan titled “Defending and Supporting the Islamic System”, though he did not name specific countries.

He said the Taliban administration seeks relations with all countries but will not allow any interference on Afghan soil.

Noori had earlier said during a visit to Takhar that Pakistan does not want a stable government in Afghanistan and is trying to have the Durand Line recognised as an official border.

He also claimed that the activities of the National Resistance Front and ISIS in Afghanistan are largely for propaganda purposes, arguing such announcements aim to attract foreign support.

The minister has recently visited several northern provinces.

He described the Afghanistan-Pakistan border as a “imaginary line” and said it cannot be accepted as an official boundary, calling the Durand Line a “national issue”.

Noori added that opposing the Taliban administration would be futile, while saying the door to dialogue with opponents remains open.