The Guardian (UK): Afghanistan can only be saved from state collapse and widespread starvation if the definition of legitimate humanitarian aid to the country is broadened, some of Britain’s most senior former security and diplomatic chiefs have said. Click here to read more (external link). Related ‘I’ve already sold my daughters; now, my kidney’: winter
AP: Arranging marriages for very young girls is common in the region. The groom’s family pays money to seal the deal, and the child usually stays with her parents until she is at least around 15. Yet with many unable to afford even basic food, some say they’d allow prospective grooms to take very young
Ayaz Gul VOA News December 19, 2021 ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban assured a special meeting of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Sunday that they will do more to enhance national political inclusivity and promote human rights, including those of women, in the country. Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi spoke in Pakistan at
AP: International funding once paid for much of the government budget — and without it, the Taliban have largely been unable to pay salaries or provide public services. Click here to read more (external link). Related U.N. warns of ‘colossal’ collapse of Afghan banking system
8am: Sakhi Murad and Abdul Khaliq came to Herat from Ghor and Badghis provinces. Due to poverty, the two fathers have decided to sell their children for money. Sakhi Murad moved to Herat two years ago due to war and insecurity in the village of Chehelgazi in the Dolina district of Ghor province. He now
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty November 15, 2021 Afghanistan’s national currency has reached its lowest level in the past two decades against the U.S. dollar as the war-ravaged country’s economy struggles to stay afloat following the Taliban takeover. The November 14 exchange rate on the foreign-exchange market Sarai Shahzada was quoted at 95 afghanis for one dollar. Two
Ayaz Gul VOA News November 8, 2021 ISLAMABAD — The United States’ special representative for Afghanistan Monday began his first trip to Europe and Asia to discuss developments in the South Asian nation, where almost 23 million people, including children, are threatened with starvation. Ambassador Thomas West’s first stop will be Brussels where his discussions with
Ayaz Gul VOA News October 25, 2021 ISLAMABAD — United Nations agencies warned Monday humanitarian needs in Afghanistan have grown to unprecedented levels and more than half of the conflict-torn country’s population, a record 22.8 million people, will “face acute food insecurity” from November. The Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Program said in joint
Rob Garver VOA News August 27, 2021 WASHINGTON – Steering Afghanistan’s economy would be a formidable task for anyone, which is why economists and other experts expressed dismay this week when the country’s Taliban leaders named Mohammad Idris, a relatively obscure figure from within the movement, to head Da Afghanistan Bank, the country’s central bank.
Lisa Schlein VOA News August 25, 2021 GENEVA – The World Food Program is urgently appealing for $200 million to purchase and pre-position food for millions of Afghans before the winter snows cut off access roads to them. Sizzling summer temperatures of more than 30 degrees Celsius mask the hardships that lie ahead for the