KABUL -- As the Taliban advanced across Afghanistan with lightning speed, life in the northern city of Kunduz became unbearable for Fareba Mohammadi.
"Now that the Taliban controls our province, I was not allowed to go outside without the chadri or a male family member," the 22-year-old said, referring to the head-to-toe shroud for women. "My husband was arrested in Turkey for being an illegal immigrant. It became very difficult for me to cope with the situations, so I escaped to Kabul." She brought only a small bag with her.
For the time being Mohammadi is staying in the city's Azadi Park. There are thousands of other Afghans like her -- internally displaced people (IDPs) seeking refuge in Kabul's parks and open spaces. The city has yet to be breached by the Taliban, but there is panic and nervousness all around, with ubiquitous police checkpoints. United Nations officials warn of a looming humanitarian crisis if the fighting reaches the capital.
More than 244,000 people have fled their homes since U.S.-led foreign forces began their withdrawal from the country in May, according to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). An estimated 13,500 have ended up in Kabul so far.
"The numbers are staggering in terms of displacement," said Babar Baloch, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva. "Not only displacement but the people are on the run, people who have been caught up in this conflict. The U.N. mission in Kabul says that we could see the bloodiest year in Afghanistan in terms of civilian deaths."
No one is harder hit than women and children, the UNHCR report stresses: They make up an estimated 80% of the displaced civilians.
Bibi Sidiqa left her home in Kandahar with nothing but her clothes and five children.
"There was conflict in my district. When the Taliban came, they asked us to come outside and leave the house. I put all my kids in a rickshaw and fled to Haji Camp," she said, referring to a camp originally intended for Hajj pilgrims that was turned into a shelter for people fleeing clashes between the Taliban and government forces.
"I have nothing here, just a tattered floor mat. No jug to store water or a glass to drink tea. I have also asked many times for a mosquito net," Sidiqa continued, showing her daughter's arm, red with insect bites.
Soon, staying at the camp was no longer an option. At its peak, the facility housed more than 3,000 people. But since Kandahar, Afghanistan's second-largest city, fell to the Taliban, the camp has been vacated.
"The Taliban captured Kandahar and the government handed over the province to them. All the offices are closed," said Sardar Mohammad Barani, director of the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority. The IDPs were asked to leave the night before the province was taken over. "Since there are no more clashes, all the IDPs have gone home."
Displaced people are seeking refuge from the Taliban advance in the open spaces of Kabul. (Photo by Kanika Gupta) Going home, of course, means submitting to the strict Islamist doctrine of the Taliban, which has added to its tally of seized provincial capitals in recent days. The latest one, Mazar-e-Sharif, reportedly fell late Saturday night. The Taliban now control 22 of 34 provinces and their sweeping gains are only expected to increase the displacements exponentially.
"A total of 3.5 million Afghans have been displaced inside the country," Baloch said, referring to even greater numbers of people forced from their homes since 2020. "This violence comes at the top of a drought that the Afghans have to endure and the ongoing COVID pandemic."
Back in Kabul, most of the IDPs are either renting properties or being hosted by friends and family. But a large number are staying out in the open around the capital, like Mohammadi.
"The problem for Afghanistan people is a very dire one at this historical juncture," Baloch said. "We are seeing Afghan people being displaced like no other time in terms of the pace of displacement."
Facing a flood of IDPs at the capital's gates, authorities have called on communities to step up and provide assistance. Residents and international nongovernmental organizations have responded with much-needed money and other help to verified IDPs.
"We give cash, non-food items, and depending upon the situation, shelter, materials for temporary development, and protection support," said Jared Rowell, country director at the Danish Refugee Council.
"We have a rigorous screening assessment criteria. We use an emergency assessment tool that evaluates different needs based on the size of the household, number of females of household, and determine what type of assistance they need. We hand out cash to those who need it and let them determine the best use of that cash."
Mohammadi is one beneficiary of the DRC's cash assistance. As her IDP status has been confirmed, she will receive 14,000 Afghanis ($178) from DRC, food packets from the World Food Programme, and other essentials.
"I had some small savings from my work as a tailor," she said. "I used that to bring myself and my sons here. Right now, I don't have any money."
Women and children account for an estimated 80% of the IDPs. (Photo by Kanika Gupta) Hameedullah, a 34-year-old working for an international NGO in Kabul, was distraught after seeing the plight of the IDPs living in deplorable conditions in the city. "My colleagues and I started a campaign on Facebook and collected money to help IDPs," he said. "We were soon able to raise $5,000 to $6,000, that allowed us to help them with non-food items, such as tarpolines and medicines for people who needed medical attention."
Baloch emphasized that since the displaced people and their needs are only going to snowball, countries, business and institutions must commit to helping Afghans now.
"But these days, you would feel like half the world has abandoned them in terms of what is happening here," he said.
"It is crucial for the international community to come together and end this fighting and make sure that there is a cease-fire, there is peace for Afghans. The resources are there. We should not let Afghans feel that the world is abandoning them or turning away from them."