There are no children left in the Afghan border village of Barikot, where a school has been shattered by shelling and its playground lies empty after weeks of fighting with Pakistan.
Nearly all of the village’s 8,000 residents fled when the conflict erupted in late February. When journalists returned after the road reopened this week, they found ruins and silence.
Ruhollah Khpalwak, a 23-year-old shopkeeper whose store was destroyed, stood inside the wrecked science lab of his former school, surrounded by broken glass. “This is the school where I studied. I feel really sad,” he said.
The school, once serving students from primary to high school, is now heavily damaged—something residents attribute to cross-border fire. Dust-covered books and faded schedules remain scattered across classrooms.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Barikot’s school is one of 22 in urgent need of reconstruction in Kunar Province. Around 12,000 students affected by the conflict require safe spaces to resume their education.
Along the village’s main street, shuttered shops and piles of rubble reflect the scale of destruction. The United Nations says hundreds of civilians were killed in Afghanistan during the violence before China helped broker talks that largely halted the fighting.
Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of harboring militants from the Pakistani Taliban—an allegation Afghan officials deny. Residents of Barikot said they were unaware of any such presence.
At the village hospital, pharmacist Faridoon Habibi described how conditions became “very difficult,” forcing staff to relocate for safety. The damaged facility remains closed. Despite the conflict, he referred to people across the border as “brothers,” reflecting deep cultural ties among Pashtun communities divided by a colonial-era frontier.
Displacement and hardship
More than 94,000 Afghans have been displaced by the conflict, according to OCHA, with over a quarter from Kunar province. Many now live along the banks of the Kunar River in makeshift shelters fashioned from tarpaulins, sacks and plastic sheets.
Clean water is scarce, often requiring more than an hour’s walk to access a well.
Asmatullah Malangzay, a 26-year-old displaced technician, described the harsh conditions faced by families. “Our women have faced many problems,” he said, citing the lack of toilets, water and basic hygiene facilities.
Aid groups warn the situation is worsening. The Norwegian Refugee Council said displaced families urgently need shelter, sanitation services and healthcare.
For many, the loss of education is among the deepest concerns. Mohammad Nabi Gujar, a father of nine, said he was distressed that his children could no longer attend school. Overcrowded classrooms in nearby areas have left little capacity for displaced students.
Mohammad Amin Shakir, once a primary school principal, now lives in a small tent after his school shut down. “It makes me cry,” he said. “Those students who were busy with their studies are now roaming here in dirt and sand. They are completely deprived of education.”
“This is their life now,” he added quietly. “In tents.”
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