Since the disagreements surrounding political systems and communism between Afghanistan and the Soviet escalated into an invasion and ongoing conflict in the late 1970s, innocent Afghanistan citizens have faced an array of hardships. Of these challenges, a significant and ongoing problem has been Afghanistan refugees’ exposure to deplorable conditions in the process of searching for escape from their war stricken country. As the invasion ensued in the late 1900s, hundreds of thousands of Afghanistan citizens fled to Pakistan and have continued to do so for the past 40 years (PBS Newshour). While refugee camps in Pakistan served as a glimmer of hope for Afghanistan citizens, disease, starvation, and overcrowding of homes have been the reality and consequence of seeking a better life. Citizens of Afghanistan began fleeing the country after the invasion began in 1979. At the time of the invasion, Afghanistan’s political system was an oppressive communist government headed by Nur Mohammed Taraki and Hafizullah Amin. The violence perpetuated by the two leaders due to their opposition to muslim beliefs and support of communism was the initial reason Afghans began to flee (Amnesty International). Both Taraki and Amin were assassinated in 1979, and the soviet’s invasion followed. After the invasion began, the number of Afghans fleeing increased as the war continued with 3.5 million Afghans combined having migrated to Pakistan and Iran by 1982 (PBS Newshour). Although escape from the war has been a comforting prospect for refugees, the danger and risk of uprooting their lives and moving to a foreign country carried its own struggle. As a result of the massive amounts of citizens migrating at once Pakistan began turning people away, therefore some Afghans left their homes and all they knew just to be turned away or be followed by war as the violence came out of bounds and into Pakistan (Amnesty International). According to human rights activists with Amnesty International, refugees have been “forcibly returned to a country that is now more dangerous than when they left it, or detained in inhumane conditions -- where they still languish.” A number of men and women seeking refuge are also currently unaccounted for after having been returned to a different location in Afghanistan than their home (Amnesty International). Because of the integration of refugees from Afghanistan with Pakistan and Iran, the economy and sociality has become unbalanced and awry. Government leaders in Pakistan and Iran have declared that they do not have the resources to support all of the refugees seeking aid from their country. Refugee camps have become ridden with disease and starvation due to Pakistan’s limited resources. In an attempt to keep out Afghans seeking shelter, the country has created a wall around 90 percent of their border (Amnesty International). Success has proven possible by refugees as proven in some refugee camps. Amnesty International notes that “There are refugee camps where successive Afghan generations have lived, long forming part of the local fabric of society.” This glimmer of hope in the midst of seemingly endless gloom serves as hope for other refugees that they can live successful, fulfilling lives despite the war and its side effects that citizens are subjected to. Children make up a number of the victims in the Soviet-Afghanistan war, with a shocking 34 percent of the 11,000 reported casualties in 2018 being children. Additionally, children who were separated from their families were part of the nearly 10,000 refugees returned, in accordance with studies from the European Union (Amnesty International). Despite injury, illness, or status as a survivor of bombings and shootings children and young adults have still been forced to return to Afghanistan. With nowhere to go and little option other than to become involved in the Soviet-Afghanistan war, training camps operated by terrorist groups including Al Qaeda have attracted young people in Afghanistan. Training of soldiers to fight for a communist regime began as early as the mid 1950’s when Moscow, Russia financed Afghan individuals to be trained for war and terrorism. After the invasion began the Taliban formed in order to organize large, destructive attacks. The Taliban government, led by Osama Bin Laden, trained men to launch terrorist attacks and financed camps that focused on training. Bin Laden financed at least three camps by January of 1994 (PBS Frontline). Individuals from over 6 other countries were training at the Afghanistan camp locations in order to learn how to preform bombings, shootings, and suicide missions. While terrorism remains prevalent in the world today, the dissipation of large terrorist groups began when the United States started to take greater measures to ensure safety from terrorism in the USA and executed Bin Laden (amnesty international). The United States’ attempt to gain peace between Afghanistan has not yet proven successful. The Taliban has continued to operate Jhadist training camps and released photos in 2021 on their national website of “Hundreds of Mujahidin [holy warriors] and martyrdom seekers” who “have graduated from Khalid bin Waleed, Al-Fateh and Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique Military Camps of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” according to Bill Roggio from the Foundation of Defense for Democracies. The Taliban has been known for its use of fear mongering and propaganda, as proven by the photos released which feature armored trainees at the training sites in Afghanistan. They currently operate 12 known training camps across Afghanistan and have shown no desire to end the conflict with the United States. The ongoing war in Afghanistan has utterly destroyed the lives of men, women, and children who have not yet begun their lives. The countless refugees who have lost their lives and lost their children to terrorist training prove just how catastrophic the past 4 decades have been to Afghan citizens who once could call the country home. Refugees have shown bravery, resilience, and determination in their attempts to migrate despite the danger that surrounds them as a result of war violence. Being one of the longest lasting wars in recorded history, Afghan citizens are exhausted of the constant disquieted state and not knowing what lies in the future. However, they are under no circumstances unwavering in their hope that one day refugees -- men, women, and children –- will be free.