Afghanistan's missing millions

Afghanistan has the world's worst refugee problem. Two decades of war and five years of drought have created several million refugees. Aid agencies say the military strikes on Afghanistan is creating many thousands more.

BBC News Online looks at the scale of the crisis and the international response to the problem.

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4 February 2002

The hunger battle

Refugees at a camp inside Afghanistan

Tens of thousands of Afghans are facing starvation according to international aid agencies trying to get supplies to them. Much of the help never gets beyond the major towns. The problem is worst in the west of the country, in the remote mountain villages north east of Herat.

 The BBC's David Loyn reports

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10 December 2001

Rebuilding after decades of war

Kabul airport was badly damaged by bombing

The new government will have a tough job rescuing its country from the rubble. With most of Afghanistan's infrastructure in ruins, the cost of rebuilding is expected to run to billions of pounds. It is a mammoth task facing the country's new leaders.

 The BBC's Paul Welsh reports

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7 December 2001

UN prepares massive aid operation

Thousands of children are among those going hungry

Final preparations are being made in Afghanistan for huge handouts of food aid. About 1.5 million people are due to receive emergency supplies as Kabul struggles to rebuild and the harsh Afghan winter sets in.

 The BBC's Paul Welsh reports

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4 December 2001

Going hungry in Afghanistan

The onset of winter means deteriorating conditions

There may be hope for a more peaceful future, but for now, life in the Afghan capital, Kabul, is still a nightmare for many. The World Food Programme is handing out tokens to be exchanged for food for the thousands of people who are not getting enough to eat.

 The BBC's Clive Myrie reports

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20 November 2001

The hidden camps

Thousands of Afghans fled their homes in fear of US bombing

For the first time, western journalists have been taken by the Taleban to a refugee camp near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, where internally displaced people have been accumulating for months.

  The BBC's Matt Frei reports

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A child's view

Children are arriving alone at refugee camps

As the situation in Afghanistan gets worse, concern is growing for the children fleeing the country and arriving alone in neighbouring Pakistan. Some have seen their parents killed. Others have been sent away because their families can no longer afford to keep them.

  The BBC's Matthew Price reports

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Taleban soldiers push back Afghan refugees

Afghan refugees pushed back at border

Hundreds of Afghan refugees attempting to cross into Pakistan at a border crossing near Quetta, have been moved to a camp controlled by the Taleban, six miles inside Afghanistan.

 The BBC's Fergal Keane reports

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US food parcels

US food drops to Afghan refugees "a catastrophe"

With at least a hundred thousand refugees having fled Taleban-held areas of Afghanistan, American planes continued dropping food packages. But some of them were being sold in local markets.

 The BBC's Jonathan Charles reports

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Afghan refugees illegally cross Pakistan border

Refugees give eye witness accounts of air strikes

As the US bombing campaign in Afghanistan enters its second week refugees start to cross illegally into neighbouring Pakistan. They are bringing with them the first eye-witness accounts of the bombing raids.

 The BBC's Jill McGivering reports.

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Pressure grows for pause in air strikes

The United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Mary Robinson warns that the lives of several million Afghans are at risk unless food and shelter can be delivered to the country before the onset of winter. The work of aid agencies has been made far more difficult since 11 September.

 The BBC's Fergus Walsh reports.

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Pakistan 'overwhelmed'

Pakistan is already hosting 2.2m Afghan refugees

Millions of refugees depend on food handouts to survive, but with very little aid getting into Afghanistan neighbouring countries risk being swamped. Relief organisations and the United Nations have appealed for urgent help to stave off a catastrophe.

 Click here for Adam Brookes' report

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Tajikistan enters equation

One million Tajiks are threatened with starvation

As Afghans continue to flee in fear of war, thousands of refugees are heading for the border with Tajikistan. However, the former Soviet republic is refusing to let them in because it is struggling to cope with a crisis of its own - widespread hunger caused by a drought.

 Click here for David Shukman's report

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Long lasting humanitarian crisis

Afghan crisis: Aid needed for months

The attacks on America have brought the plight of Afghan refugees to the world's attention, but the problem dates back several years. In February the BBC's Matt Frei was allowed deep into Afghanistan to see conditions at the Herat camp in the west of the country.

 Click here for Matt Frei's report

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A new alliance forms

Annan says money may not be enough

In addition to the global coalition against terrorism, 15 countries met in Berlin to plan the wider relief effort for refugees. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called for the international community to provide $584m for the projected needs of up to 7.5m Afghans over the next six months.

 Click here for Emil Petrie's report

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March 24 2001

New camp for Afghan refugees

UN opens new refugee camp

Pakistan allows the United Nations to open a refugee camp on the Afghanistan border but says it will only admit women, children and the elderly. The Taleban opens a refugee camp for those that Pakistan refuses to let in.

 The BBC's Fergal Keane reports