UNICEF Afghanistan: 10m children in desperate need

Ten million children in Afghanistan are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance since the Taliban swept to power this month, a UNICEF Afghanistan spokesperson said.

Kabul (Afghanistan):Ten million children in Afghanistan are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance since the Taliban swept to power this month, a UNICEF Afghanistan spokesperson said Wednesday.

The organization said it expects the humanitarian situation in the country to worsen due to a severe drought, the onset of winter and the coronavirus pandemic.

"Afghanistan is a country in crisis, and those who are least responsible for it are paying the highest price," Sam Mort, UNICEF Afghanistan Chief of Communication, said during an interview with Sky News.

"Many of these children have seen atrocities that no child should ever see," she added. Children in Afghanistan already survive on humanitarian assistance and around a million are expected to suffer from life-threatening malnutrition this year, according to UNICEF.

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It says some 4.2 million children, including 2.2 million girls, are out of school. Afghanistan was a poor country, reliant on international aid, even before the Taliban took over earlier this month.

While UNICEF was able to provide water and other assistance to some of the internally displaced population, a recent drought in the country meant food production could run out in the coming months, Sam Mort warned.

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(AP)