World · Aid runs dry6 Million Pushed Back to Afghanistan in Under 3 Years as Aid Runs DryAired August 16, 2026 at 1:55 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00About 6 million Afghans have returned to0:02Afghanistan [music] in little under 30:03years, many forcibly from Iran and0:06Pakistan. Many seeing the country for0:08the first time. A movement described as0:10unprecedented in recent human history.0:13The [music] count covers returns from0:14the two neighboring countries over a0:16period of little under 3 years, with0:18many of those returns described as0:20[music] forced and with many children0:22and young people arriving in a country0:23they have never lived in. The pressure0:24[music] is concentrated along0:26Afghanistan's western and southern0:27borders, where families are crossing0:29back from Iran and Pakistan at the same0:31time. Those arrivals land 5 years0:34[music] after the Taliban retook Kabul0:35on 15th of August 2021 as western forces0:38left. [music] The Taliban is now0:39entrenched, marking the anniversary as a0:42period of relative peace after two0:43decades of war, while severe0:45restrictions on women and girls remain0:46in place. Families arriving now face0:49drought [music] and shrinking foreign0:50assistance. Needs for shelter,0:52livelihood, and schooling are already0:54beyond what is available, and that0:55[music] gap is especially acute for0:57children who were born and raised0:58outside Afghanistan. The figures and the1:00description of the aid gap come from a1:02single anniversary report citing1:04humanitarian [music]1:04data without yet independent1:06confirmation of the detailed breakdown1:08by country timing or the share of1:09returns that were forcible compared to1:11voluntary, nor a verified overall1:13accounting of shelter and aid funding1:14[music] against need. The consequence is1:16a humanitarian system being asked to1:18absorb millions at once while its1:20resources contract, leaving the basic1:22security of housing, work, and schooling1:25unresolved for families who have just1:26been pushed back.1:28Like and follow for more stories that1:30matter.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗