UN: 38,000 Afghans displaced by conflict since beginning of 2017

The ongoing conflict in Afghanistan has forced 38,110 people to leave their homes since the beginning of 2017, a United Nations report said on Monday.

The UN said it saw displacement in the eastern, northern, north-eastern, central and southern provinces of the country, with north-eastern Kunduz and Baghlan showing the highest numbers.

The report said that "57 per cent of those displaced are children, under the age of 18."

For the south, the UN warned of a potentially severe fighting season ahead as the "conflict continues to intensify across the region."

Taliban usually announce the start of their spring offensive around the end of March and beginning of April.

This year, the UN expects an estimated 450,000 people to become internally displaced. More than 653,000 civilians were reported to have fled their homes in 2016.