Helmand clashes displace thousands of families

LASHKARGAH (Pajhwok): As many as 3,000 families have been forced to leave their homes and sought shelter in Lashkargah, the capital of southern Helmand province, due conflict, an official said on Friday.

Naqibullah Zmaryal, director repatriation and refugees department, said thousand families from Nad Ali, Nawa districts and other areas had been displaced in the past 15 days as conflict soared in their localities.

He said the survey of 682 families has been completed while the process was underway to register the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Zmaryal said necessary food items and other materials had been made available for the registered IDPs but could not be transferred to Helmand because the main highway between Lashkargah and Kandahar was closed for traffic.

Governor Spokesman Umar Zwak said registration of the IDPs was underway through the refugees department and aid items would be distributed soon.

Earlier in the day, Garamser district of the province fell to the Taliban hands and more families were expected to be displaced.

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