500,000 refugees may flee Afghanistan: UNHCR

KABUL (Pajhwok): Up to half a million more Afghans refugees could leave their country by the end of the current year, the United Nations has warned.

UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Kelly Clements told journalists in Geneva on Friday: “The humanitarian emergency currently is inside Afghanistan.”

Reuters quoted her as saying: “This is obviously a really dynamic situation.”, The UNHCR was planning for different scenarios, including a mass exodus, she added.

The refugee agency was bracing for around 500,000 new refugees in the region, she said, seeking enhanced support for neighbouring countries.

Afghanistan’s neighbours, already hosting over 2.2 million Afghan refugees, could soon witness a new influx.

Clements added: “We are appealing to all countries neighbouring Afghanistan to keep their borders open so that those seeking safety can find safety.”

The UNHCR official called the estimated 500,000 new refugees in the region a worst-case scenario. A few thousand Afghans have been recorded entering Iran daily Traders continue going back and forth from Afghanistan to Pakistan.

PAN Monitor/mud