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The UN refugee agency is gearing up for as many as half a million people or more to flee from Afghanistan in a “worst-case scenario” in the coming months, AP reports.
UNHCR says the situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover last week “remains uncertain and may evolve rapidly,” with up to 515,000 new refugees fleeing.
The agency said that would add to the 2.2 million Afghans who already are registered as refugees abroad - nearly all of them in Pakistan and Iran.
“The upsurge of violence across the country and the fall of the elected government may have a serious impact on civilians and cause further displacement,” the plan said.
The agency cited estimates that 558,000 people have been internally displaced within Afghanistan due to armed conflict this year alone – four in five of them women and children. “UNHCR estimates that the number of displaced will rise, both internally and across border,” it said.
Najeeba Wazedafost, CEO of the Asia Pacific Refugee Network, in an online UNHCR news conference on Friday, warned of “coming darkness” in Afghanistan amid a “tragically intertwined series of crises.”
The UN agency is seeking nearly $300 million for its response plan for inter-agency requirements.
Russia’s intelligence services are actively supporting the smuggling networks that drive illegal migration into Europe
A major new WHO/Europe survey has revealed alarming rates of mental health problems among doctors and nurses across the continent
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has declared that the country is ready to shoot down Russian drones if they enter Hungarian airspace
Ukraine has announced plans to export surplus weapons to multiple regions, including the United States, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared that Europe finds itself in a precarious position with Russia
Right now, Europe faces an unprecedented security challenge as Russian drone incursions into NATO and EU airspace have become increasingly frequent and brazen
Asen Vassilev, co-chair of the opposition party "We Continue the Change," sharply criticized the government’s decision to nominate Rumen Spetsov as special manager of Lukoil Neftochim
Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov told the parliamentary defense committee that Bulgaria expects the F-16 Block 70 fighters to become fully operational in 2028
The Bulgarian government has put forward Rumen Spetsov as the special sales representative for Lukoil Neftochim
Bulgaria’s Ministry of Defence is set to receive a budget of EUR 2.708 billion for 2026
Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev assured on Thursday that Bulgaria will not face a fuel crisis, stressing that the government is doing everything in its power to prevent one
Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov admitted that he does not consider the draft state budget for 2026 to be a good one, yet described it as the only feasible option under the current geopolitical and domestic circumstances
Bulgaria's Strategic Role in the EU's Drone Wall Defense Initiative
When Politics Means Violence
