PESHAWAR: The International Crisis Group (ICG) that if sanctions on Afghanistan are not lifted immediately, one million people could die of starvation and cold this winter.
The think tank called on the international community to remove sanctions on Afghanistan to curb the widespread hunger. The ICG added that if the situation in Afghanistan continues like this, it is possible that many people will lose their lives. The group said that up to one million children could die of starvation if aid is not provided to Afghanistan.
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The group called on the United States, Europe and the rest of the world to help Afghans in need without formally recognising the Taliban. In one report, the ICG said that the United Nations Health Department has warned that Afghanistan will face a “severe financial and economic crisis” in the next three years. The United Nations has said it will not be right for government officials working under the Taliban to receive aid, including teachers, doctors and security personnel.
The United States has frozen nearly $9.5 billion Afghanistan’s assets. It was a major blow to the Taliban regional as the Afghan central bank is now empty. The Taliban officials say the economic situation is not so bad that people are starving. The Taliban’s deputy spokesman, Bilal Karimi, said: “The situation in Afghanistan is not as dire as the international community reports. The country is out of war, there are problems, but the security of the people is secure, and efforts are being made to solve the economic problems. Banks are managed, and revenues are collected transparently.”
The Taliban say they are in talks with the United States to release the frozen assets.
The State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that if the Taliban wanted to establish economic ties with the international community, the Taliban should focus on human rights, women’s rights and the formation of an inclusive government.