Afghan Refugees: A Looming Crisis

As the United States makes haste to withdraw its military presence and oversight from Afghanistan, the newly created vacuum of power is rapidly being filled by the Taliban – who are scrambling to wrest control of important regions including Kandahar, Lashkargah, Kunduz, and Herat from the Afghan National Army. Over the past five months, the Taliban have gained control of the entirety of the southern and western parts of the country – over 150 districts as per latest estimates. Today, the Afghan government only retains the central and northeastern regions, and those too are on shaky grounds. Violence and bloodshed are once again rampant, with the Human Rights Watch reporting entire villages being burned to the ground, schools destroyed, hospitals blown up, and large swathes of people displaced, arrested, or killed – particularly in the northern areas.