Dozens of families who have been displaced due to recent conflicts in Jaghori and Malistan districts in Ghazni province and Khas Uruzgan district in Uruzgan province are complaining about lack of necessary living facilities.  

The families who are living in the west of Kabul said they are faced with numerous problems. 

From among the displaced families of Ghazni and Uruzgan, nearly 60 of them are living at a mosque in the west of Kabul and the rest are living in other places, mostly at mosques. 

The families said that due to lack of hygiene, fuel and other materials needed for the weather, dozens of them are getting sick every day.  

According to the families, they want to return to their homes, but insecurity in their districts has forced them to stay in Kabul.  

“The situation is not good there. The schools are closed and teachers are all here,” said Juma Khan, member of a displaced family.  

“Before this there (Jaghori) was no war, but now we are afraid and cannot go back,” said Nazanin, member of a displaced family. 

A young displaced boy, Farhad, said he along with his four brothers, mother and father were injured in clashes between security forces and Taliban in Jaghori district earlier this month.   

“The clashes have displaced the people. Before that, I was in school and had schedule for my activities,” Farhad said.   

“We were studying our lessons, but we have not attended our exams. W are here right now and we are faced woth lack of food and every day we are sick,” said Ali Ahmad, a resident of Ghazni who has been displaced to Kabul. 

Although in a corner of the mosque there are separate places for the displaced families to prepare food and wash their cloths, but they said the facilities are not enough and that they will face more challenges as the weather is getting cold.  

“The situation has not changed, still there is war,” said Gul Bakht, a displaced resident of Ghazni.  

The families said they are supported by local people in terms of food, accommodation, clothing and other necessary items.  

“At least 240 people are living here in a space of 30 to 40 square meters. It is about two weeks they are living in this space which even has not enough oxygen,” said Haji Shah Wali, a local resident.  

In the meantime, a prayer ceremony was held in another part of Kabul for 52 people who, their relatives say, they lost their lives in recent clashes in Jaghori, Malistan and Khas Uruzgan districts.  

“Over 50 families have held the prayer ceremony in this mosque and every family has lost their members who were mostly their breadwinners,” said Ahmad Shah Nawazi, a resident of Jaghori.  

“There are lots of concerns regarding Jaghori, because if the people return to their homes, there is no guarantee over their security,” said Fahim Sadiqi, a resident of Jaghori.  

While the families raised concerns over continued insecurity in their provinces that has forced them to remain in Kabul, the Interior Ministry said security will be maintained in Jaghori, Malistan and Khas Uruzgan districts. 

“The situation has turned normal there. Residents of Uruzgan, Malistan and Jaghori can go back to their areas without having any worries. You saw that the leadership of government has given them an amount of money to return,” the Interior Ministry’s deputy spokesman Nusrat Rahimi said.  

Statistics by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) show that around 4,000 families have been displaced due to recent fights in Ghazni and Uruzgan provinces.  

Clashes in Jaghori district started last month when Taliban launched coordinated attacks from few directions on the district. Following the attack on Jaghori, Taliban attacked on the neighbor district, Malistan.  

The clashes between security forces and Taliban continued for around two weeks which was followed by sharp critics from the public.  

As the attack continued, hundreds of people protested in Kabul and blasted security departments over being negligent regarding the insecurity in the two districts.  

Security forces then launched operations in the districts and the Afghan Defense Ministry announced that the two districts have been cleared of insurgents. However, hours after the ministry’s remarks, Taliban clashed with security forces in parts of Jaghori.  

The fights in Jaghori and Malistan districts forced hundreds of families to leave their homes. A big number of the families fled to Kabul and Bamiyan provinces.  

The fighting in Khas Uruzgan district started before the attacks on Jaghori and Malistan districts.  

Dozens of families in Khas Uruzgan were also displaced as a result of the clashes.