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Millions of Afghans could slide into poverty

10 September 2021 19:58 (UTC +04:00)

Aid workers are warning that almost the entire population of Afghanistan could slide into poverty within the next few months, reports the Wall Street Journal, APA reports citing BBC.

It says that even before the Taliban takeover, half of the country’s roughly 40 million people already needed humanitarian assistance, according to the UN.

Now, aid organisations are looking for ways to help the Afghan people without strengthening the Taliban's new administration.

Afghanistan has been cut off from the international financial system and foreign aid since August, with more than $9bn (£6.5bn) in the Afghanistan central bank’s assets frozen in the West.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization warned this week that more than 2,000 health facilities in Afghanistan were now at risk of closing because funding was halted, meaning millions of vulnerable Afghans could lose access to essential healthcare.