Within weeks, thousands more refugee families were in Jalozai asking to be transferred to Shamshatoo. Many were refugees fleeing fighting, others were Afghans severely affected by drought and desperate for assistance. On November 9, Pakistan officially closed its border with Afghanistan to prevent more refugees from entering. However, most refugees seeking to enter Pakistan appear to have been able to do so either by walking around the main crossing points or by bribing the border guards. The refugees have been provided tents, latrines are being built, food is being distributed, and medical care is available.
Water is a major problem though.
USCR interviewed a number of refugees at Shamshatoo. Some said they had fled to Pakistan to escape the conflict, others said they were victims of the drought. Some were in Pakistan for the first time, while some had been refugees in Pakistan before, had repatriated to Afghanistan, but had come back because of the drought or fighting. In late January, within days of the completion of the transfer of the second batch of refugees from Jalozai to Shamshatoo, thousands more Afghans had again entered Jalozai. It is likely, however, that many of these were not new arrivals, but refugees who have been in Pakistan for years who want to be moved to Shamshatoo so that they can receive assistance.