Lost in thought, Abdul Khaliq stood leaning against a wall by the side of a road in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand province.
He said that his family of 15 had been forced to flee their home in Nawah district by a recent Taleban offensive sweeping the southern province.
Khaliq said that he knew that he and his family were among the lucky ones. Many other displaced people in Helmand had been left homeless and starving, dependent on public charity.
8,000 families displaced
The province, a centre of opium production, has long been one of the areas heaviest-hit by violence.
The most recent Taleban onslaught has seen fighting reach the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, with hundreds of commandoes airlifted in to battle insurgents.
His office continued to work to locate and register others in the same situation, he continued.
Most had been left in very bad conditions, Ziarmal explained, adding that he was in talks with aid agencies in the hope of providing the families with basic rations and other necessities.
Some displaced families have managed to rent houses in Lashkar Gar, while others have found refuge with family or friends. A large number have also settled in a camp set up to house displaced people, although resources are so stretched that many have been forced to leave the province.
Denne artikel er en del af Institute for War and Peace Reportings serie Global Voices. Find flere artikler i serien her
