Kabul – The United States announced additional humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan.
The US State Department has announced that it will provide $144 million in assistance to the people of Afghanistan who have been facing a grave humanitarian crisis under the Taliban.
According to the US State Department, with this, the total American humanitarian aid in Afghanistan and for Afghan refugees in the region increases to nearly $474 million in 2021, the largest amount of assistance from any nation.
According to the US State Department, the aid will be provided directly to independent groups, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), International Organization for Migration (IOM), World Health Organization (WHO) and other international organizations.
“This funding provides support directly to some of the more than 18 million vulnerable Afghans in need in the region, including Afghan refugees in neighboring countries,” according to the US State Department.
According to the State Department, new aid will enable the United States to respond to the growing humanitarian needs exacerbated by healthcare shortages, COVID-19, drought, malnutrition, and the impending winter.
The aid is for the benefit of the Afghan people, not the Taliban, the US State Department asserted. It has also stressed that it holds the Taliban accountable for their commitments.
The United States says that Afghanistan’s neighbors have long hosted one of the largest and most protracted refugee situations in the world, calling on those countries to keep their borders open to Afghans seeking international protection.