Charlie Faulkner: 'Shot at by both sides': Families flee as Taliban battles for territory in Kandahar

By Dilip -

Qayoom and his family were among 10,000 families pushed out of their homes as government and Taliban forces battled for territory in southern Afghanistan last month. Qayoom found his new home was to be a couple of large sheets propped up over cold, bare earth, a shelter among many others in a camp for internally displaced people (IDP) on the outskirts of Kandahar city. But the shelter barely checks the icy blasts of bitter winter winds.

“Within the space of a few hours, our village, Spairwan, became the frontline of the fighting between the government and the Taliban,” the father of five told the Guardian. “For two days we couldn’t leave our houses because people were getting shot by both sides. The Taliban captured our village and then told us to leave the area.”…

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/24/shot-at-by-both-sides-families-flee-as-taliban-battles-for-territory-in-kandahar

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