The Taliban on Friday called for emergency humanitarian aid without “political bias”, saying recent snow and floods have worsened the plight of the Afghan people.
Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in mid-August, the country has plunged into financial chaos, with inflation and unemployment rising.
Billions of dollars in assets of the country have been frozen by the United States, while aid supplies have been severely disrupted.
Reading, Trickle-Down Grief – How Afghanistan’s Asset Freeze Hurts Everyone
Global aid agencies have warning More than half of Afghanistan’s 38 million people are expected to starve this winter.
In a video appeal, Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar said there is an obligation to help the world.
“Right now in many places people do not have food, shelter, warm clothes or money,” Baradar said.
“The world must support the Afghan people without any political bias and fulfill their humanitarian obligations.”
Most of central and northern Afghanistan has received snow in recent days, while floods have affected parts of the south. Many Afghans struggle to afford heating, with the country facing regular power cuts.
Baradar said the weather worsened the already “sensitive situation” of the Afghan people, adding that the Taliban are ready to help with the distribution of international aid across the country.
“We call on the international community, NGOs and all countries not to forget our poor people,” Baradar said in the first direct appeal made by a senior Taliban leader to tackle the worsening humanitarian crisis.
Kabul, which has not seen regular snowfall for years, was covered with a thick blanket of snow on Friday, affecting air and road traffic and forcing businesses to close.
No country has yet formally recognized the Taliban government and diplomats face the delicate task of providing aid to the stricken economy without backing the radical group.
In December, though the Muslim nation Solved To work with the United Nations to attempt to unlock frozen assets, primarily in the United States.
The special meeting of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was the biggest on Afghanistan since the fall of the previous US-backed government in August and the return of the Taliban to power.
Also in December, the United Nations Security Council The resolution proposed by the US was adopted unanimously To help deliver humanitarian aid to desperate Afghans, seeking to keep the money out of the hands of the Taliban.
That proposal was welcomed by Taliban officials as a “good move”.
The Security Council resolution allows aid to the country for up to a year without violating international sanctions aimed at isolating the Taliban.
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