The Humanitarian Impact of Escalating Hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan

Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan escalated sharply on 21 February 2026.  Cross-border clashes along the Durand Line quickly intensified into airstrikes, artillery exchanges, and ground engagements. On 27 February, the Pakistani defense minister announced the launch of a major offensive against Afghanistan¹.  

The hostilities are ongoing, with preliminary figures indicating 146 civilian casualties, including 42 killed and 104 injured by 2nd March² as well as damage to critical military and civilian infrastructure. Nine provinces across eastern and southeastern Afghanistan have been impacted including Kandahar, Zabul, Paktika, Khost, Paktia, Kabul, Nangarhar, Kunar and Nuristan³.  

Already, nearly 66,000 people have been displaced⁴ as a direct result of the ongoing conflict. Afghanistan already faces one of the world’s most complex displacement crises, with 3.2 million people internally displaced⁵ and 5.6 million forced to return from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan⁶ since late 2023. The impact of forced returns has been acute, with host communities and humanitarian aid systems stretched beyond their capacity. DRC has identified a downward trajectory for forced returnees, who, unable to meet daily needs due to a lack of livelihoods, are increasingly struggling the longer they remain in the country. 

The recent escalation in fighting is likely to drive even more displacement, including secondary and tertiary movements. Families forced to flee multiple times face escalating risks: access to food, shelter, healthcare, and safety becomes ever more precarious, while women, children, and other vulnerable groups are at greater risk of exploitation and violence. Repeated displacement also places heavy strain on already overstretched host communities and humanitarian services, limiting aid where it is most needed.  

In addition, one of the most widespread impacts of the hostilities has been the border closure. The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan was closed on 11 October and has remained shut since⁷, except for the passage of forced returnees from Pakistan into Afghanistan. The impact on communities across Afghanistan has been profound, with the cost of essential goods, including food and medicine, rising sharply, further exacerbating food insecurity and health concerns. The economic consequences have been severe for both countries, but disproportionately catastrophic for Afghanistan, which is a landlocked country heavily dependent on Pakistani transit routes for both imports and exports.  

Following Pakistan’s border closure, Afghanistan increasingly relied on imports via Iran to meet domestic needs. This alternative has now been disrupted by Iran’s closure on 2 March 2026⁸, which suspended all trade and banned the export of critical items, including food and medicines.  

DRC is assisting displacement‑affected communities across Afghanistan, most of whom struggle to meet daily needs including nutritious food. Rising food prices have made it even harder for families to access sufficient nutrition, compounding the humanitarian crisis. Afghanistan is facing a severe food security emergency, with an estimated 17.4 million people projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) between November 2025 and March 2026⁹, including millions in emergency conditions.  

Political and security disputes underlie the escalation, but civilians in border areas who are already grappling with severe humanitarian needs are bearing the heaviest consequences. 

DRC response 

DRC is actively supporting displaced communities across six of the provinces affected by the ongoing conflict including, Kandahar, Zabul, Kabul, Nangarhar, Kunar, and Nuristan, delivering a variety of programmes across economic recovery, food security, protection, humanitarian mine action, shelter, and WASH. DRC will participate in the inter-agency joint needs assessment and plan an emergency response to address the most urgent identified needs.    

Immediate and coordinated action is urgently required to protect civilians, uphold international humanitarian law, and ensure unimpeded humanitarian access, alongside rapid support to meet essential needs and mitigate the impact of displacement on affected populations.