Afghan families returning from Iran to Afghanistan. The situation in Afghanistan: clashes on the border with Pakistan, an influx of returnees from Iran Peace and security
The intensification of hostilities on the border of Afghanistan with Pakistan, as well as the escalation associated with the crisis around Iran, has led to a deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the UN World Food Program (WFP) reports.
Clashes along the approximately 2,400-kilometer border with Pakistan have displaced approximately 20,000 families in the eastern, southeastern and southern regions of Afghanistan.
Ground and air strikes affected more than 30 areas in the provinces of Nangarhar, Nuristan, Kunar, Laghman, Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Kandahar and Helmand. In all of these provinces, WFP was forced to temporarily suspend social support measures, school feeding programs and livelihood projects.
“You may remember the earthquake that occurred in eastern Afghanistan on August 31st. Mountain communities in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces – already some of the most vulnerable – have been hit the hardest, losing family members, homes and sources of income. Today, these same communities are once again on the front lines of a crisis, now amid an escalating conflict with Pakistan,” said John Ayliffe, WFP Country Representative for Afghanistan.
The four affected provinces have critical rates of acute malnutrition, he said.
Meanwhile, in western Afghanistan – on the border with Iran – an increase in the number of returnees is expected from this country, which is at the center of escalating violence in the Middle East.
“We already saw a similar surge in returns during the intensification of hostilities in June 2025. For many, returning to Afghanistan means not only poverty, unemployment and hunger, but also instability,” Ayliffe said.
Said Aziz, a 36-year-old father of four, returned from Iran just a few months ago. There he received a modest salary at the factory, but was able to feed his family. In Afghanistan, he has no home, no job, and on some days, nothing but bread.
Aziz was recently injured and is now unable to work, and restrictions imposed in Afghanistan do not allow his wife to work. His family now survives on WFP assistance.
“His story shows how returnees – already vulnerable – are once again faced with instability, poverty and hunger,” Ayliffe said.
In 2025, WFP supported more than half a million Afghan returnees along the border with Iran and Pakistan. Aid included cash payments and food for women and children.
In 2025, more than 2.5 million people from Iran and Pakistan have already returned to Afghanistan. Even before the escalation, analysts had predicted a similar influx in 2026, but renewed fighting could lead to an even greater influx of refugees, putting unbearable strain on the humanitarian response system.
Afghanistan remains one of the main hotbeds of hunger in the world: every third resident of the country – 17.4 million people – is in dire need of food assistance. Rates of child malnutrition have also reached alarming levels, with 3.7 million children projected to require treatment in 2026.
With the crisis looming and funding shortfalls, WFP is unable to help families fleeing Iran and Pakistan, or those forced to flee their homes inside Afghanistan due to cross-border conflict.
WFP warns that by April 2026, funds allocated to finance the organization’s emergency operations will run out, leaving millions of people without support.
The World Food Program needs $313 million for its operations in Afghanistan. The organization calls on the international community to fulfill its obligations and allocate the necessary funds.