The onset of the 2026 winter has been particularly brutal in the mountainous border regions. Reports from aid organizations indicate that families, including small children, are dying of hypothermia and exhaustion as they attempt to reach neighboring countries in search of work and food.

International aid has slowed to a trickle due to political complications and global "donor fatigue." The lack of basic infrastructure, combined with a collapsing economy, has left millions of Afghans with no choice but to risk their lives on treacherous mountain passes.

Human rights groups are calling for a renewed global focus on the crisis. They argue that while the world’s attention is fixed on conflicts in Venezuela and Ukraine, the silent catastrophe in Afghanistan continues to claim lives at an alarming rate.