Friend: We want to update you on a rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan as reported by MSF staff on the ground.

Violence has surged between Afghan forces and the Taliban in and around provincial capitals. The conflict is impeding access to medical care, increasing the numbers of people killed and wounded by bullets and explosions, and causing widespread displacement. In the areas where Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) works—Lashkar Gah in Helmand province, Kandahar, Kunduz, and around Herat—the consequences of the conflict have been felt acutely.

In the city of Lashkar Gah, normal life is at a standstill. Health care staff are scrambling to treat medical, obstetric, and surgical emergencies. Shelling, mortar attacks, and airstrikes are happening so close by that some health workers are sleeping in hospitals, as it's not safe to leave.

Laura Bourjolly, MSF humanitarian affairs manager in Afghanistan, gave this update: “The situation in the country has deteriorated to a point that, in some cities like Lashkar Gah and Kunduz, the medical facilities are on the front lines. MSF staff continue to treat patients in all of our projects, under dire circumstances, and we have adapted our medical activities to respond to the acute needs.”

This emergency is changing rapidly and the security of our patients and staff is our top concern. We will keep you updated on this evolving situation as we are able. Read on to see how MSF teams are helping to provide lifesaving care for patients affected by this escalation of conflict.