Photos show displaced families pouring into a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul as the fighting intensified across Afghanistan and the Taliban took the city

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Photos show displaced families pouring into a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul as the fighting intensified across Afghanistan and the Taliban took the city
The Sarai Shamali settlement. Edris Lutfi for Insider
  • The week before the Taliban took Kabul, parts of rural Afghanistan erupted into violence.
  • Desperate families poured into the capital, seeking refuge.
  • These photos from the ground show a makeshift camp set up to try and give them shelter.
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As the Taliban advanced through Afghanistan over the last week - before taking control of Kabul, the Afghan capital, over the weekend - displaced families have poured into Kabul.

A makeshift camp has emerged in Sarai Shamali, in the northern part of Kabul near a highway that connects Kabul to the country's northern cities, and at Shahr-e Naw Park, near the city center.

Photos show displaced families pouring into a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul as the fighting intensified across Afghanistan and the Taliban took the city
General view of the Sarai Shamali IDP settlement Edris Lutfi for Insider

There was chaos at the northern entrance of Park-e Shahre Naw as the refugees, technically called internally displaced persons (IDPs), came in droves to set up makeshift shelters.

Photos show displaced families pouring into a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul as the fighting intensified across Afghanistan and the Taliban took the city
The scene at Shahr-e Naw Park in Kabul. Edris Lutfi for Insider

Park-e Shahr Naw is in the heart of Kabul, and the Kabul Governor's Office desperately tried to relocate the IDPs away from people's eyesight.

Photos show displaced families pouring into a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul as the fighting intensified across Afghanistan and the Taliban took the city
Edris Lutfi for Insider

Move-in trucks are a familiar scene in Kabul as the fighting in rural Afghanistan and major cities has forced families to seek shelter in the capital.

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Photos show displaced families pouring into a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul as the fighting intensified across Afghanistan and the Taliban took the city
A moving truck stacked with belongings drives through the Shahre Naw neighborhood in Kabul. Edris Lutfi for Insider

Maryam Sahebzada (seen below in the orange vest), is responsible for the health services of 11 provinces.

Photos show displaced families pouring into a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul as the fighting intensified across Afghanistan and the Taliban took the city
Maryam Sahebzada is seen here in the orange vest. Edris Lutfi for Insider

She spoke with with the female IDPs about the services available at the Sarai Shamali makeshift health clinic and instructed her colleagues to prioritize women and children first.

Photos show displaced families pouring into a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul as the fighting intensified across Afghanistan and the Taliban took the city
Edris Lutfi for Insider

Hadia, an IDP from northern Afghanistan, fell sick after drinking water from the nearby well.

Photos show displaced families pouring into a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul as the fighting intensified across Afghanistan and the Taliban took the city
Hadia, an IDP from northern Afghanistan fell sick after drinking water from the nearby well. Edris Lutfi for Insider
Photos show displaced families pouring into a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul as the fighting intensified across Afghanistan and the Taliban took the city
Hadia, an IDP from northern Afghanistan fell sick after drinking water from the nearby well. Edris Lutfi for Insider

Hussain's father (left), a former soldier who deserted after not being able to receive his salary for months, shows his scar from a blast injury he sustained in a northern city of Afghanistan.

"I gave my body for my country but my country didn't even pay my salary on time," he said. "I had big responsibility against my country, but I had a bigger responsibility towards my family, which was putting food on the table."

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Photos show displaced families pouring into a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul as the fighting intensified across Afghanistan and the Taliban took the city
Hussain (right) and his father (left). Edris Lutfi for Insider

Abdul Ali, 44, came to Kabul from Kundoz four days ago to escape the war. "The war was over but so was our livelihood. My business was burned to ashes, and I couldn't think of starting over in Kundoz."

Photos show displaced families pouring into a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul as the fighting intensified across Afghanistan and the Taliban took the city
Edris Lutfi for Insider

Abdul Mohammad, 57, came from Kapisa province to Kabul after the clashes started. He has set up a Samavar and serves tea to the IDPs as a business.

"I had a dignified life in Kapisa as a farmer," he said. "I don't want to wait for people to come and feed me."

Photos show displaced families pouring into a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul as the fighting intensified across Afghanistan and the Taliban took the city
Faiz Mohammad, a former soldier who was wounded in action, came to Sarai Shamali IDP settlement 5 days ago. Edris Lutfi for Insider

Poverty has forced many economically disadvantaged families to pose as IDPs in order to receive aid such as tents, cooking material, and cooking supplies, which could then be sold on the black market for a fraction of the original price.

Photos show displaced families pouring into a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul as the fighting intensified across Afghanistan and the Taliban took the city
Edris Lutfi for Insider

With the Taliban now in control of the country, it remains to be seen what will happen to the people displaced by the war, and whether they'll be able to return to their homes - if they have homes to return to.

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Photos show displaced families pouring into a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul as the fighting intensified across Afghanistan and the Taliban took the city
x Edris Lutfi for Insider
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