Up to 14 million people in Afghanistan could face severe hunger amid the takeover of the country by the Taliban, according to the World Food Program (WFP).
The Associated Press reports that WFP country director Mary Ellen McGroarty told U.N. correspondents from Kabul on Wednesday that Afghanistan’s takeover, along with its second severe drought in three years and the economic and social fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, pushed the country into a ''catastrophe.''
She pointed out that 40% of Afghanistan’s livestock and crops have been ruined by the drought, winter is coming soon and thousands of people have already been displaced by the Taliban.
''Really the race is on to get food where it’s most needed, '' McGroarty said.
The WFP, the food agency of the U.N., had helped 4 million people in May and plans to aid up to 9 million ''over the next couple of months,'' according to the AP. McGroarty urged donors to provide the $200 million that she said is needed to get food to Afghanistan before winter, when the roads are blocked.
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