Thousands of Afghans have fled their homes amid a fierce Taliban offensive in the country's north. Many of those displaced have escaped to the northern province of Balkh, where they face a life of misery and squalor in makeshift refugee camps and shelters.
Afghan Refugees
![Homayra, a widow carrying her paralyzed child, lives in a makeshift refugee camp outside Mazar-e Sharif, Balkh Province.](https://gdb.rferl.org/72d36c24-e3a3-4bd9-9c37-72b098732025_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Homayra, a widow carrying her paralyzed child, lives in a makeshift refugee camp outside Mazar-e Sharif, Balkh Province.
![Faizia (left), Homayra’s mother-in-law, lost her husband when their home was bombed. She was blinded by a piece of shrapnel.](https://gdb.rferl.org/a5469f25-a53e-4135-8db8-d95a7a9d9edc_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Faizia (left), Homayra’s mother-in-law, lost her husband when their home was bombed. She was blinded by a piece of shrapnel.
![Thousands of families from across northern Afghanistan have fled to Mazar-e Sharif, the provincial capital and a relative oasis of peace in the region.](https://gdb.rferl.org/d249cd78-6a90-437c-8f9a-8a9508a211ee_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Thousands of families from across northern Afghanistan have fled to Mazar-e Sharif, the provincial capital and a relative oasis of peace in the region.
![Abdul, one of the makeshift camp’s residents, fled from Faryab Province after fierce fighting between the Taliban and government forces.](https://gdb.rferl.org/e9086dee-91f2-47b5-8100-d4c5a8960888_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Abdul, one of the makeshift camp’s residents, fled from Faryab Province after fierce fighting between the Taliban and government forces.