Major Infrastructure Projects Advance in Afghanistan Over Past Five Years

August 24, 2026
Liluma Qadiry
Tolo News
22 AUGUST 2026

In the water management sector, the Qosh Tepa Canal is one of the major projects that has continued to advance during this period.

Major infrastructure projects have been a key part of the Islamic Emirate’s economic agenda over the past five years.

The projects are aimed at developing infrastructure, strengthening regional connectivity and creating opportunities for the country’s economic growth.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, foreign minister of the Islamic Emirate, attributed progress on major domestic economic projects to the government’s economic policies.

Muttaqi said: “Our economic sector has performed better than at any other time in Afghanistan’s history. Afghanistan has never witnessed this level of progress in factories and infrastructure projects.”

In the water management sector, the Qosh Tepa Canal is one of the major projects that has continued to advance during this period.

The project began in 1401 (2022), and its second phase is now nearing completion.

The first two phases of the Qosh Tepa Canal are part of a six-year plan and are expected to be completed by 2028. Work on the third phase is also expected to begin as the second phase is completed, although no completion date has yet been announced.

Qosh Tepa Canal – Key Facts and Objectives

Route: Balkh, Jawzjan and Faryab
Water source: Amu River
Objective: Supply water to expand agricultural land
Water capacity: Nearly 65 cubic meters per second
Total length: Nearly 285 kilometers
Target land: More than 3 million jeribs

Nabiullah Arghandiwal, spokesperson for the National Development Corporation, said: “Since work began, the National Development Corporation has continued the project intensively and to a high standard. Work on the second phase is now in its final stages.”

In the energy sector, the TAPI project entered its operational phase in Afghanistan in 1403 (2024), with pipeline construction officially beginning.

The pipeline has a route of nearly 816 kilometers through Afghanistan, of which nearly 120 kilometers has so far been laid.

No specific date has been announced for completion of the entire Afghan section, but the Herat section is targeted for completion by this winter.

TAPI – Key Facts and Objectives

Project: Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline
Countries: Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India
Capacity: 33 billion cubic meters of gas annually
Afghanistan’s share: Gas transit revenues
Gas supply agreement: 30 years
Purpose: Energy supply and support for industries and power plants

Alongside TAPI, the CASA-1000 project has also resumed after several years of suspension.

Work on the project in Afghanistan is now 80% complete, and the Afghan section is expected to be completed by the beginning of 1406.

Humayun Afghan, spokesperson for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, said about progress on TAPI: “Work on the Herat section of the project is expected to be completed by the end of this calendar year and become operational.”

CASA-1000 – Key Facts and Objectives

Objective: Transfer surplus electricity from Central Asia to South Asia
Countries: Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan
Transmission capacity: 1,300 megawatts
Afghanistan’s share: Nearly 300 megawatts
Transmission line: Nearly 1,370 kilometers
Project launched: 2016

In the transport and regional connectivity sector, the Afghan Trans project has yet to enter the implementation stage, although a feasibility study agreement was signed in 2025.

Despite efforts to begin the feasibility study, practical work on the process has not started during the past five years.

Afghan Trans – Key Facts and Objectives

Objective: Establish a regional rail and transit corridor
Proposed route: Through Afghanistan, linking Central Asian countries with Pakistan
Focus: Railway development and facilitating regional transit
Status: Has not yet entered the implementation stage
2025: Feasibility study agreement signed

Overall, work on several major infrastructure projects has continued over the past five years, with some entering the implementation stage, though progress has varied from project to project.

Major Infrastructure Projects Advance in Afghanistan Over Past Five Years
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US Visa Suspension Lifted, but Afghan Entry Ban Remains: AfghanEvac

August 24, 2026
Hadia Ziaei
Tolo News
23 Aug 2026

 

The organization urged Afghan families not to travel or visit embassies or consulates without official instructions.

AfghanEvac said in a statement that lifting the suspension on immigrant visa issuance for citizens of 75 countries, including Afghanistan, does not mean that the pathway for Afghans to enter the United States has reopened, as the entry ban on Afghan nationals remains in effect.

The head of the organization urged Afghan families not to make travel plans or visit an embassy or consulate for an interview until they receive official instructions.

The statement said cases that were refused solely on the basis of the visa suspension would be returned to consular officers for reconsideration, but stressed that the outcome is not guaranteed.

AfghanEvac said in part of the statement: “Nothing about your case changed automatically. Do not make travel plans. Do not go to an embassy or consulate for an interview you were not scheduled for, and do not treat news coverage as an instruction to act. Do not withdraw, refile, or pay anyone who tells you the path is now open.”

Abdul Raziq Adil, a migrant rights activist, said: “The main obstacle cannot be resolved through the courts alone. A final solution to this crisis requires three-way cooperation: binding court rulings to end delays, executive action to facilitate security procedures, and congressional action to pass lasting protective legislation.”

The organization called on the US State Department to reconsider these cases and reinstate entry exemptions for Afghan allies.

Mohammad Jamal Muslim, a migrant rights activist, said: “As a country that accepts immigrants, the United States should serve as a model for the world. Unfortunately, at times, its own interests have created hundreds of challenges for migrants, as we have seen in recent months.”

Samir Angar, an international relations analyst, said: “To fulfill its commitments to Afghans, the United States should distinguish between humanitarian obligations, legal commitments and security considerations. It should make the process transparent and simpler to end the uncertainty facing Afghans.”

The Trump administration suspended immigrant visa issuance for citizens of 75 countries, including Afghanistan, in January 2026. The suspension took effect on January 21.

US Visa Suspension Lifted, but Afghan Entry Ban Remains: AfghanEvac
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Former US Envoy Links Kabul Embassy Reopening to Policy Changes

August 24, 2026
TOLOnews
TV Network
24 Aug 2026

Neumann said there are reasons for reopening the US Embassy in Kabul and that he could envision Washington taking such a step.

Ronald Neumann, former US ambassador to Kabul, says reopening the US Embassy in Kabul would require specific changes in the policies of the Islamic Emirate.

Neumann, who served as US ambassador to Afghanistan from 2005 to 2007, said that despite deep disagreements over the policies of Afghanistan’s current authorities, there are practical reasons for Washington to engage with Kabul.

Neumann said there are reasons for reopening the US Embassy in Kabul and that he could envision Washington taking such a step. He added that the United States is already engaging pragmatically with the Islamic Emirate in some areas, including through visits to Kabul related to the release of American detainees and counterterrorism.

His remarks come as the Islamic Emirate’s spokesman has previously emphasized positive relations with all countries, including the United States, and confirmed contacts between Kabul and Washington.

Political analyst Yousuf Amin Zazai said the United States is pursuing its own intelligence and strategic interests in Afghanistan rather than the country’s development and long-term stability.

Although US policy toward Afghanistan has remained unclear since 2021, Washington has engaged with the Islamic Emirate on a limited number of issues. US officials have previously said they maintain engagement with Afghanistan’s current authorities on certain sensitive security matters.

Former US Envoy Links Kabul Embassy Reopening to Policy Changes
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Now Is Not The Time To Recognise the Taliban, Says Former Afghan President

August 22, 2026
Afghanistan International
21 August 2026

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai says Taliban recognition and legitimacy depend on meeting specific conditions, including allowing girls to return to school and women to work.

Speaking to Bloomberg on Friday, 21 August, Karzai said the international community and the United Nations had repeatedly called on the Taliban to lift restrictions imposed on women and girls.

He stressed that the Taliban must allow girls to return to school and women to resume work if it wants to gain legitimacy and international recognition.

Karzai said this was not merely his personal position, but a demand repeatedly raised by the international community and the United Nations.

Asked whether he supported beginning a process of normalising relations with the Taliban under the current circumstances, Karzai said he wanted a process in which Afghans could come together and find a solution for the country’s future, one in which all people felt included, had a sense of belonging and enjoyed their rights.

He said the goal should be to build a country in which all Afghans could live, work and make progress towards their future inside Afghanistan.

Russia is the only country to have formally recognised the Taliban administration. The international community and regional countries have set conditions for recognition, including respect for human rights, the formation of an inclusive government involving ethnic groups and women, counter-terrorism measures and compliance with international obligations.

The Taliban has rejected these demands, describing them as interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.

Karzai said in another part of the interview that he remained in contact with several Taliban leaders and had discussed with them the importance of girls’ education and women returning to work.

He said some Taliban officials who met him understood the importance of the issue and agreed with his position.

The former Afghan president also said that despite the ban on girls’ education beyond the sixth grade and sweeping restrictions on women’s employment, he was not willing to send his daughters abroad to continue their education.

He added that, as an Afghan citizen, he felt responsible for working to create conditions in which girls could study inside the country.

Karzai said sending his daughters abroad for education would amount to accepting the current situation, something he said he would never do.

Afghan political figures, including Abdul Rashid Dostum, Salahuddin Rabbani, Atta Mohammad Noor, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Karim Khalili, and Sarwar Danish have reacted to the killing of senior NRF commander Hasib Panjshiri.

The Taliban said on Thursday, 20 August, that Hasib Panjshiri had been killed during what it described as a complex operation by special forces.

Karim Khalili, leader of the Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan mourned the death of the senior NRF commander, describing him as a symbol for many Afghans of courage, resistance, sacrifice and determination in defence of freedom, dignity and human dignity.

Mohammad Mohaqiq, leader of the People’s Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, described Hasib Panjshiri as one of the influential figures of the National Resistance Front and offered condolences to his family, comrades and supporters.

At the same time, the Afghanistan Justice and Freedom Party, led by Sarwar Danish, issued a statement saying that Panjshiri’s death came at a time when Afghanistan was under what it described as authoritarianism, monopoly of power and repression of civil and political freedoms of the Taliban, adding that his death highlighted the heavy price being paid for defending freedom and the people’s right to determine their future.

Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, leader of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan, said the “fire of resistance” against the Taliban would not be extinguished by Hasib Panjshiri’s death in direct fighting with the group.

Dostum said the path of resistance had become clearer and expressed hope that what he called the Taliban’s “rule of oppression and tyranny” would eventually be removed from Afghanistan.

Salahuddin Rabbani, leader of Jamiat-e Islami Afghanistan, said in response to Hasib Panjshiri’s death that by killing and threatening opponents, the Taliban was strengthening the determination of Afghans to build a dignified and law-based future.

Rabbani said history had shown that no oppressor has ever prevailed against the will of the people, adding that Afghanistan was no exception.

He described Hasib Panjshiri as someone who had “stood courageously against oppression and tyranny” and lost his life while defending Afghanistan.

Sami Sadat, head of the United Front of Afghanistan, also offered condolences to Panjshiri’s family and comrades, describing him as a proud fighter for freedom.

Sadat said fighters of the United Front of Afghanistan would ensure that Panjshiri’s place on the battlefield did not remain vacant.

Atta Mohammad Noor, a senior figure in Jamiat-e Islami Afghanistan, also issued a message referring to Panjshiri as the “Eagle of the Hindu Kush”. Noor described his death as a painful and irreparable loss.

Khalid Amiri, a commander of the National Resistance Front, described Panjshiri as loyal, sincere, honourable, courageous and steadfast.

Amiri said Panjshiri had been not only a comrade-in-arms but also a brother, a companion through difficult years and a man of the toughest battlefields.

He said Hasib Panjshiri’s absence from the ranks of the National Resistance Front would always be felt, but added that his “blood would never go unanswered” and that the path he had followed until his final moments would continue with “even greater determination than before”.

Hasib Panjshiri was a prominent commander of the National Resistance Front. Before the fall of the former republic order in Afghanistan, he joined the National Directorate of Security’s special units after completing military training and took part in various operations.

After the Taliban entered Kabul in August 2021, Panjshiri went to Panjshir and continued fighting against the group. In recent years, several images and videos had also emerged showing him alongside NRF forces in the foothills of the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan.

Now Is Not The Time To Recognise the Taliban, Says Former Afghan President
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Senior National Resistance Front Commander Hasib Panjshiri Killed

August 21, 2026
Khaama Press

Abdullah Khanjani, head of the Political Committee of Afghanistan’s National Resistance Front, confirmed senior commander Hasib Panjshiri has been killed.

Hasib Panjshiri, a senior military commander of Afghanistan’s National Resistance Front (NRF), has been killed, the group’s political leadership confirmed on Thursday.

Abdullah Khanjani, head of the National Resistance Front’s Political Committee, confirmed Panjshiri’s death in a video statement on Thursday evening, describing him as a “great commander.” Khanjani did not provide details about the circumstances of his death, while Kabul has not issued an official statement on the incident.

According to informed sources familiar with the incident, Panjshiri was traveling with seven other NRF fighters from Panjshir toward Andarab in Baghlan province when their convoy was ambushed in the northern Salang area. The group was reportedly traveling in two Toyota Hilux vehicles, with four fighters in each vehicle, and was heading to carry out an operation in Andarab.

The sources said the resistance fighters had checked the route before departing and believed it was safe to travel. However, the Taliban allegedly learned of their planned movement and set up an ambush along the route in northern Salang.

A fierce clash reportedly erupted after the convoy entered the ambush. The four fighters traveling in the first vehicle were killed during the fighting. Panjshiri, who was in the second vehicle with three other fighters, was also killed in the confrontation. The fate of the three men who were with him remains unknown.

Earlier on Thursday, Al-Mersaad, a media outlet affiliated with Taliban intelligence, claimed Panjshiri had been killed in an operation carried out by special forces. The National Resistance Front later confirmed his death but did not verify the details of the operation or disclose the location and timing of the incident.

Ali Maisam Nazary, the NRF’s head of foreign relations, also confirmed Panjshiri’s death in a Facebook post, without providing further information about how he was killed.

Hasib Panjshiri was one of the National Resistance Front’s most prominent military commanders under the leadership of Ahmad Massoud. Before the collapse of the former Afghanistan government in August 2021, he served in Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) special forces.

Senior National Resistance Front Commander Hasib Panjshiri Killed
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Aisha Wahab Makes History as First Afghan American Elected to US Congress

August 21, 2026
Khaama Press

Aisha Wahab has won a special election for California’s 14th Congressional District, becoming the first person of Afghan descent elected to the US Congress, according to Decision Desk HQ.

Wahab, a progressive Democrat and California state senator, defeated Melissa Hernandez in Tuesday’s election to fill the seat vacated by former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned in April following allegations of sexual misconduct. Swalwell has denied the allegations.

The victory marks another historic milestone for Wahab. She previously became the first Muslim and first Afghan American elected to the California state Senate. Born in New York to Afghan immigrant parents, the 39-year-old has emerged as a prominent progressive voice in California politics.

Wahab had already built a substantial lead over Hernandez in the June nonpartisan primary, finishing more than 25 percentage points ahead. Her campaign nevertheless faced significant outside spending, with super PACs spending at least $5 million in recent weeks to oppose her, according to Politico. At least $3 million of that spending was linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), largely through efforts supporting Hernandez.

Hernandez, a member of the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board and former mayor of Dublin, California, campaigned heavily on affordability, public safety and housing. She will face Wahab again in November, when voters will choose a representative for a full congressional term.

Wahab’s campaign has been closely associated with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. She has expressed support for Medicare for All, higher taxes on billionaires, abortion rights and immigration policy changes, and has called for an end to US military assistance to Israel while expressing support for Palestinian rights.

Foreign policy was not the central focus of the special-election campaign. Wahab has previously described the situation in Gaza as a genocide and co-authored a 2025 California Senate resolution calling for an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

The election also comes amid a broader debate over women’s representation in Congress. Political scientist Meredith Conroy of California State University, San Bernardino, said Swalwell’s departure removed the significant incumbency advantage that often presents a structural obstacle for women seeking congressional office.

Aisha Wahab Makes History as First Afghan American Elected to US Congress
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Afghanistan Calls for Stronger Coordination as Climate, Disaster Risks Rise

August 21, 2026
TOLOnews
TV Network
21 August 2026

The head of the National Disaster Management Authority said people’s needs, particularly in remote areas, have increased.

As risks from natural disasters and climate change increase, Islamic Emirate officials and aid organizations emphasized strengthening coordination at a meeting in Kabul.

The head of the National Disaster Management Authority said people’s needs, particularly in remote areas, have increased.

Nooruddin Turabi called on aid organizations to reduce administrative costs so that a greater share of assistance reaches the people.

He also stressed the need to separate humanitarian affairs from political issues, describing the National Disaster Management Authority as a non-political organization.

Turabi also described mines and unexploded ordnance left over from the war as a hidden threat to the public and emphasized accelerating the demining process.

Nooruddin Turabi, head of the National Disaster Management Authority, said: “If the budgets allocated in previous years had been properly spent, Afghanistan would now be a mine-free country.”

The meeting was attended by representatives of various United Nations agencies, including UNAMA, UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration. An IOM official said that despite Afghanistan’s minimal contribution to climate change, the country is severely affected by its consequences.

Representatives of aid organizations emphasized the continuation of humanitarian assistance and stronger coordination in disaster management.

Miah Park, the International Organization for Migration’s Chief of Mission for Afghanistan, said: “The evidence is clear and warns that in 2025, nearly nine million people were affected by climate-related disasters. More than 700,000 people were displaced by natural disasters, and more than 11 million people are at risk from natural hazards.”

Tajuddin Oyewale, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan, said: “We cannot simply respond after a disaster occurs; rather, we must invest before disaster strikes, seriously and effectively, by establishing early warning systems, taking anticipatory action and investing in resilient infrastructure.”

The National Disaster Management Authority previously reported that over the past five months, floods, rainfall and storms across the country have killed 351 people and injured 436 others.

Afghanistan Calls for Stronger Coordination as Climate, Disaster Risks Rise
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Karzai: Women’s Rights Key to International Legitimacy

August 21, 2026
Liluma Qadiry
Tolo News
21 Aug 2026

He also called on Pakistan to establish “civilized” relations with Kabul instead of seeking to weaken Afghanistan.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai considers girls’ education and women’s participation in the workforce among the key factors for Afghanistan to gain international legitimacy.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Karzai said he has repeatedly spoken with Islamic Emirate officials about the importance of girls’ education and women returning to work, adding that some of them understand and agree with this view.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai added: “Recognition and legitimacy come from meeting certain conditions in Afghanistan. The international community has repeatedly raised these demands. The United Nations has also repeatedly emphasized them, and I reiterate that these conditions are the return of girls to school and the return of women to work.”

He also called on Pakistan to establish “civilized” relations with Kabul instead of seeking to weaken Afghanistan.

Karzai said: “This shows that Pakistan cannot get along with any Afghan government. They could not get along with the Republic, and now they cannot reach an understanding with the Taliban either. This means there is a problem with Pakistan’s own policy toward Afghanistan, and I hope that policy will be corrected. I have repeatedly, repeatedly and repeatedly urged Pakistan to establish a civilized relationship with Afghanistan—a civilized relationship means moving away from the use of extremism and radicalism and, in pursuing its objectives in Afghanistan, adopting more thoughtful and sophisticated approaches instead of trying to weaken or incapacitate Afghanistan.”

Karzai also said he has no interest in joining the Islamic Emirate and prefers to live in Afghanistan as an ordinary citizen alongside his family.

Karzai: Women’s Rights Key to International Legitimacy
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Taliban secures pragmatic global alliances without formal recognition

August 21, 2026

By Hamidullah Mohammad Shah

Al Jazeera
Published On 20 Aug 2026
Kabul expands trade and security partnerships across the region despite the ongoing lack of full international legitimacy.

The Taliban government in Afghanistan has successfully expanded its ties in security, trade, energy, and transport with various countries, five years after returning to power in Afghanistan almost as an international pariah.

While Russia became the first country to officially recognise the Afghan government in July 2025, the majority of the international community continues to withhold full political recognition, according to diplomatic sources and political experts.

Still, despite the lack of formal global recognition, the government in Kabul has actively integrated itself into the regional diplomatic landscape – and its relations with multiple countries are only growing.

Expanding diplomatic footprint

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi told Al Jazeera that Kabul is “currently dealing with more than 40 diplomatic missions, including embassies and consulates in various countries, in addition to dozens of foreign missions and organisations working in Kabul”.

China has emerged as one of the Taliban’s most prominent partners, managing its embassy in Kabul and cooperating closely on security and investment.

The partnership is heavily anchored in mining, particularly the Logar copper mine project, which a Chinese company secured under a 2008 contract with a declared investment of nearly $3.4bn.

In January 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping formally accepted the credentials of the Taliban’s ambassador to Beijing, even though China does not officially recognise the current government in Kabul.

Regional trade and tensions

Relations with neighbouring Pakistan represent the most complex dynamic for the Taliban. For decades, Pakistan was widely viewed as a key patron and ally of the Afghan Taliban, helping arm, finance and shelter leaders of the movement.

But relations have frayed dramatically since the Taliban returned to power, especially over Pakistan’s claims – which Kabul rejects – that Afghanistan is offering shelter and support to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) armed group. The TTP is behind many of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan in recent years.

Kabul has increasingly used trade and border crossings as leverage, diversifying its trade routes through Iran and Central Asia to reduce reliance on Pakistani ports.

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan is actively building economic ties with the Taliban, signing trade agreements in 2026 worth approximately $520m.

A proposed railway project linking Uzbekistan to Pakistan via Afghanistan aims to give Central Asian countries access to the Arabian Sea.

Turkmenistan is similarly engaging with Kabul through the multibillion-dollar TAPI gas pipeline project, which includes a 735km (457-mile) stretch inside Afghanistan. The Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline project is on the whole on hold, though, because of tensions between India and Pakistan, and now between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Security expert Abdul Jalil Amini told Al Jazeera that anxiety over the ISIL (ISIS) group represents a “more pressing motive” for Russia and Central Asian states to cooperate with the Taliban.

Amini noted that these countries believe the Taliban is capable of controlling shared borders and has succeeded in maintaining a degree of security and stability.

Balancing regional powers

Iran and India are also carefully navigating their interests in the country. Tehran maintains extensive relations in trade and energy, offering the Chabahar port as an alternative route for Kabul, despite ongoing friction over the sharing of the Helmand River waters.

Meanwhile, New Delhi is gradually rebuilding its ties to counter Pakistani and Chinese influence. Farid Mamundzay, the former Afghan ambassador to India, told Al Jazeera that the Taliban operates a “pragmatic policy through which it seeks to maintain balanced relations with various powers to serve its interests”.

Gulf states like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have maintained their diplomatic presence in Kabul, though their engagement remains limited compared with Central Asian nations.

Ahmed Karimi, a professor of international relations at Kabul University, told Al Jazeera that the stance of Saudi Arabia and the UAE is “more conservative” this time, settling for merely accepting diplomats from the movement.

Western security coordination

Western nations continue to communicate with the Kabul government primarily over security, counterterrorism, migration, and humanitarian aid, though issues surrounding women’s rights and governance remain major obstacles to formal recognition.

Strategic relations expert Najib al-Kuzi told Al Jazeera that the relationship between Washington and Kabul “did not stop since the American withdrawal, but they were largely confined to the security and intelligence fields”.

European countries also maintain working relations, with the European Union mission continuing its operations from Kabul.

Taliban secures pragmatic global alliances without formal recognition
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WFP Says Only 12% of Funding Available as Child Hunger Worsens in Afghanistan

August 21, 2026
Khaama Press
TOPSHOT – A child suffering from malnutrition receives treatment at the Mirwais hospital in Kandahar on September 27, 2021. – At an overcrowded hospital in Kandahar, the few remaining doctors and nurses try urgently to treat skeletal babies and malnourished children packed side by side on beds. (Photo by Bulent KILIC / AFP) (Photo by BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images)

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that severe funding shortages are putting the lives of malnourished children in Afghanistan at increasing risk, with the agency currently holding only 12% of the funding it needs for its operations in the country.

John Ayliffe, WFP’s representative in Afghanistan, said children suffering from acute malnutrition were already dying as food assistance programmes face major reductions because of a lack of international funding.

“Children in Afghanistan are now dying as a result of aid cuts,” Ayliffe said, warning that the number of child deaths could increase in the coming months if additional funding is not secured.

The warning comes as Afghanistan faces a worsening humanitarian situation, with millions of people struggling to meet basic food needs. WFP has said funding shortages are forcing it and its partners to scale back life-saving food and nutrition programmes at a time when demand for assistance remains high.

Recent WFP figures cited by Reuters show that six out of seven malnourished children and mothers in need are being turned away from treatment because of severe funding shortages. Child wasting has reached critical levels in one-third of Afghanistan’s provinces, while children under two account for about 80% of the most severe cases.

The crisis has been compounded by rising food prices, economic hardship and the return of millions of Afghans from neighbouring countries. Reuters reported that nearly 14 million Afghans are facing acute hunger, while food prices have increased significantly in some areas.

WFP has warned that the combination of reduced humanitarian funding and growing needs is leaving health and nutrition services unable to reach many vulnerable families. The agency has called for urgent international funding to prevent further deterioration.

The funding crisis comes after years of dependence on international humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan, where widespread poverty, weak public services, economic pressures and repeated natural disasters continue to leave millions vulnerable to food insecurity.

Humanitarian agencies have warned that without sustained international support, reductions in food and nutrition assistance could reverse gains made in preventing and treating child malnutrition and leave more families without access to basic support.

WFP Says Only 12% of Funding Available as Child Hunger Worsens in Afghanistan
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