Helmand Operation Creates Unreported Refugee Crisis

Refugees in Helmand last February (photo by Getty)

The battle for Helmand is getting bloodier by the day. Seven soldiers have died since the inception of Operation Dagger Thrust, and I would be very surprised if that number doesn’t increase by the end of the week. The operation involves more than 4,000 Marines, hundreds of Afghan National Army soldiers as well as British and other coalition forces.

But one story that’s been almost entirely overlooked is the brewing refugee crisis that the operation has caused in Helmand. Turns out when you flood an area with people who are trained to kill people and break things, while dropping bombs left and right, the locals get more than a little concerned.

Hundreds of families have fled their homes in the upper Helmand River Valley and are seeking refuge in nearby villages. They take only what they can carry and many are having great difficulty finding clean water, food and places to sleep.

One resident of Chandir village told Radio Killid that “Over a hundred people had to move from Nade Ali to Chandir and they do not have any clean water or electricity,” he added that many families also lack mattresses and places to sleep. “We do not even have access to food,” he said.

Displaced civilians also leave cultivated fields behind, with no one to harvest the crops. If they cannot return to their fields in time, some farmers will lose an entire season’s harvest. Killid reports that livestock have also been killed in the operation.

“Around 1,500 hectares [less than a square mile] of my farm has been burnt in the recent US military operation,” said one farmer.

These Afghans are very unhappy with the US and coalition right now. If things don’t turn around soon—and I mean days, not weeks—the allies can forget about “hearts and minds” in Helmand.