UN: Basic services in Afghanistan are collapsing

GENEVA – Afghanistan is facing the collapse of basic services and food and other aid is about to run out, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday.

OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told a UN briefing in Geneva that millions of Afghans were in need of food aid and health assistance, urging donors to give more ahead of an international aid conference for Afghanistan on September 13.

The agency has released a flash appeal for around $600 million to meet humanitarian needs for 11 million people for the remainder of the year amid warnings of drought and starvation.

“Basic services in Afghanistan are collapsing and food and other lifesaving aid is about to run out,” he said. “We urge international donors to support this appeal fast and generously.”

More than half a million people have been displaced internally in Afghanistan this year as the Taliban has swept across the country, culminating in its seizure of the capital Kabul on Aug. 15.

UNICEF trying to reunite evacuated Afghan children with families

 UNICEF is trying to reunite hundreds of Afghan children who were separated from their families and evacuated to various countries during the hurried US withdrawal from the country, the UN agency said on Tuesday.

Hundreds of children were separated in the chaotic scenes at Kabul airport and UNICEF is trying to get them back together with their families, spokesperson James Elder told a UN briefing in Geneva.

“They have gone to a range of countries and we are working with those governments where children have arrived without family support,” he said, adding that more than 100 of the children are back with family members.

Dramatic footage last month showed a small girl lifted up over the high perimeter wall of the airport and passed into the hands of an American soldier. It was not clear whether the girl was reunited with her family within the airport.

The Taliban said Monday they seized the last province not in their control after their blitz through Afghanistan last month, overrunning forces who had opposed their takeover.

Thousands of Taliban militants charged into eight districts of Panjshir province overnight, according to witnesses from the area who spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared for their safety. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that the province, which is north of the capital, was now held by their militants.