Sami Javed sobbed quietly as he surveyed the heartbreaking scenes of human desolation around him.
Two of his young children died from dehydration and lack of food here in Jalozai Camp for Afghan refugees in Pakistan's north-west frontier province. Sami, who fled his homeland's brutal civil war in May, is not alone in his loss.
The mortality rate in this makeshift refugee camp has doubled in the last month with up to 14 deaths a week now being reported by aid agencies.
An estimated 50,000 refugees are located in Jalozai Camp 25 km east of Peshawar.
Half have been living here for several years and their conditions are somewhat bearable.
But as the civil war in Afghanistan has escalated, thousands more have arrived here, putting huge pressure on already stressed resources.
Between 30 and 100 new families are arriving here every week.
These refugees are living in deplorable conditions. They do not have enough to eat, and disease is rampant. Their homes are makeshift tents.
Now Pakistan is bracing itself for thousands more Afghan refugees as they prepare to leave their country, fearing a strike by the US following the attacks last week in New York and Washington.
When I arrived yesterday, I was greeted by pictures of malnourished children with their blank-faced and helpless parents trying to survive.
Many of the children were covered with abscesses and had other infections on their faces and bodies as they roamed around the filthy site, a breathing ground for infection. One little boy I saw was completely covered with sores. But he still managed to smile despite obvious pain.
Other little children had bloated stomachs and sunken eyes, sure signs of malnutrition. Fresh water is in constant shortage.
Five minutes after arriving, a UNHCR water tank delivered a fresh supply and the people living here flocked to fill plastic bottles and saucepans. This lorry comes with water five times a day.
Rations of wheat are distributed to families every morning. One woman, whose husband died in battle in Afghanistan, here with her four daughters and two sons showed me her ration bag, which carried the International Islamic Organisation logo.
"This is not enough for me to feed my family. We are hungry," she cried.
She explained she was also ill. The woman took my hand and placed it on her stomach. I could feel a huge tumour the size of a tennis ball through her clothes. She said she has received no medical treatment.
The staple diet in recent weeks has been bread which the desperate refugees make with their wheat rations and water.
A little boy pulls at my T-shirt. His name is Khaee and he is six-years-old. He looked half that age. He has been here for six months but says he would prefer to be at home in Afghanistan. "I am hungry all the time".
In an open tent, Kimeia is lying on a dirty mat on the ground. She is very weak and says she has been ill for several weeks. Both her legs are very swollen. "Something must be done. We are a forgotten people here. We will all die if we do not get help" she said as her three children played quietly.
The only income people in Jalozai Camp earn is the equivalent of 25p a day for spinning cotton thread from wool. It seems every adult in the camp is involved in this painstaking activity.
According to a UN Integrated Regional Information Network for Central Asia Report, posted on their website last Friday, the mortality and malnutrition rates among children at Jalozai will increase due to deteriorating hygiene, lack of clean water and food.
The report says the number of children enrolled in a feeding centre in the camp had increased from 550 three weeks ago to 800 last week, with the figure expected to increase further.
Dr Amin Oman, who works in a medical clinic in Jalozai, is quoted in the report as saying that children do not have the balanced diet needed to help their growth. Of the children seen at the clinic every day, 80 are malnourished.
Yesterday, The Irish Times and RTE reporter Mr Tony Connelly and cameraman Mr Michael Cassidy were among the first news organisations to gain access to the camp in recent times. Pakistani authorities have refused permission to journalists to visit because they said it was "too sensitive" at this time.
One aid worker said relief destined for the camp is being taken by the Pakistani authorities. With the help of a local guide we were driven into the camp by a back road and were warned to be discreet. We were advised against going to the newest part of the camp where we were told conditions were even worse because of heavy security.
After 30 minutes, the police approached and told our guide they would like to question us as we should not have been there. After some negotiating we were allowed to leave.
As the US shapes up for an attack on Afghanistan, conditions at Jalozai will probably get worse as more refugees flee to safety. After 23 years of war, first against the Russians and then years of civil strife, these brave but trodden people are possibly facing their biggest battle yet.
Over the weekend, thousands of Afghans have gathered at the Pakistan border in the hope of leaving before a US attack on their homeland.
The Pakistan government is reported to have deployed additional forces to prevent the displaced people from entering the country. An estimated 5,000 refugees have reached the border at Torkham but Taliban officials have baton-charged the crowd and pushed them back, according to one newspaper report.
One woman told yesterday of the ultimate indignity. Relatives only get material between five and meters long to cover their dead. It is not enough. These people don't want to know about the terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, or America. Their only concern is survival.
These are the forgotten victims of Afghan's civil war. And with the threat of a new attack on the country edging closer and closer, these refugees may soon be joined by thousands more of their weary country people.