More than 125,000 Afghans have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of the year because of the ongoing conflict, the United Nations said Monday.

22,000 people were displaced in the past two weeks alone, data from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) showed.

The areas most affected were northern and north-eastern Afghanistan, accounting for 45 percent of the displacement, followed by 27 percent in the south, nine per cent in the west, and 12 percent in eastern and central Afghanistan, respectively.

However, OCHA said that the data also showed a 28-percent decrease compared to the same period last year.

Among the reasons for that decline, the OCHA analysts said that some of the fighting is continuing in the same areas as last year, meaning many have already fled.

On the other hand, rising poverty also means that some no longer have the resources to move large families to other places, the analysts said.

Insecurity has increased in cities previously viewed as safe havens. Kabul, for example, has been regularly attacked by Taliban and Daesh. Hundreds of civilians have been killed or injured in attacks since January.

Taliban announced their spring offensive late April signaling a tough battle ahead that could cause further displacement and civilian casualties.