Reuters: Thousands of Afghan children have been hospitalized this winter with pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses amid a massive humanitarian crisis brought on by the de facto Taliban takeover of the country in 2021. The country has been hit by a massive cut in much-needed international aid, as well as by Western sanctions and a freezing of central bank assets. Over 180 international organizations have suspended operations after the Taliban banned female aid workers. The International Committee of the Red Cross said that even before the onset of winter, hospitalizations of children under 5 were 50 percent higher than last year. Click here to read more (external link).