UN refugee agency says humanitarian aid needed as 126,000 Afghans displaced

The United Nations refugee agency says more than 550,000 people in Afghanistan have fled their homes due to the conflict since the start of this year.

A situational update by Geneva-based UNHCR shows about 126,000 people have been displaced in the month leading up to August 9, the most recent date for which figures are available.

A spokeswoman for UNHCR says that while the situation inside Afghanistan is fluid, “for now the displacement is largely internal.”

“There is a need to support the humanitarian response in the country,” Shabia Mantoo tells The Associated Press. “If we do see cross-border movement then additional support outside the country will be necessary too.”

The agency continues to have international and Afghan staff on the ground, she says.