260,000 Afghans forced from homes: UN

The UN says about 260,000 people in Afghanistan have been forced to flee their homes so far this year.

More than 35,000 Afghan families have fled their homes due to ongoing violence in the first four months of 2016, according to a bulletin compiled by the United Nations in Afghanistan.

In the four months to April 31, 37,294 families were forced to leave their homes, the UN said.

At an average of seven people per family, this amounts to about 260,000 people.

Monday's bulletin also said that 384,480 Afghans fled their homes in 2015 - a 96-per-cent increase on the previous year.

The UN estimates that the number of displaced people still inside the country has risen to 1.2 million.

The Afghan Taliban have made gains since international troops withdrew from an active fighting role in 2014.

Last year, the number of people killed and wounded in the conflict rose to the highest level yet recorded.


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Source: AAP



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