Dear Commons Community,

The New York Times has a sad article on children freezing to death in Afghanistan.   At least twenty-two children have  died from the cold in the past month in informal settlements in and around Kabul.   These  settlements are in reality make-shift camps for displaced persons or war refugees. The Afghan government insists that the residents should and could return to their original homes; the residents say it is too dangerous for them to do so.    Here are brief descriptions of some of the victims:

“Mirwais, son of Hayatullah Haideri. He was 1 ½ years old and had just started to learn how to walk, holding unsteadily to the poles of the family tent before flopping onto the frozen razorbacks of the muddy floor.

Abdul Hadi, son of Abdul Ghani. He was not even a year old and was already trying to stand, although his father said that during those last few days he seemed more shaky than normal.

Naghma and Nazia, the twin daughters of Musa Jan. They were only 3 months old and just starting to roll over.

Ismail, the son of Juma Gul. “He was never warm in his entire life,” Mr. Gul said. “Not once.”

It was a short life, 30 days long.”

While an extremely cold winter in Kabul is partially to blame, a good deal of the tragedy stems from poor coordination of relief services in Afghanistan, a government unable to protect its people, and ten years of war.

Tony