Afghanistan marks 1 year since Taliban seizure as woes mount

ABC News:

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban on Monday marked a year since they seized the Afghan capital in a rapid takeover that triggered a hasty escape of the nation’s Western-backed leaders, sent the economy into a tailspin and fundamentally transformed the country.

Bearded Taliban fighters, some hoisting rifles or the white banners of their movement, staged victory parades on foot, bicycles and motorcycles in the streets of Kabul. One group marched past the former U.S. Embassy, chanting “Long live Islam” and “Death to America.”

A year after the dramatic day, much has changed in Afghanistan. The former insurgents struggle to govern and remain internationally isolated. The economic downturn has driven millions more Afghans into poverty and even hunger, as the flow of foreign aid slowed to a trickle.

The U.N. humanitarian chief for Afghanistan warned that unless donors provide $2.6 billion very soon the country faces “pure catastrophe” over the coming winter with millions of lives at stake.

Ramiz Alakbarov told a virtual news conference from Kabul that the U.N.’s $4.4 billion humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan this year has received only about $1.8 billion, leaving a $2.6 billion gap in funding for desperately needed food and other aid.

He said over 90 million people in Afghanistan are “food insecure,” around 35 million are living in poverty, and 6.6 million are classified in the emergency level just one step from famine.

Alakbarov said he just visited several hospitals and saw “heartbreaking scenes” of malnourished children who will not survive the winter without additional support.

While the Afghan people are known for their resilience and ability to survive, he said, unfortunately “negative coping strategies” including the selling of organs and the selling of children will be seen again “if support is not provided.”

Meanwhile, hard-liners appear to hold sway in the Taliban-led government, which imposed severe restrictions on access to education and jobs for girls and women, despite initial promises to the contrary. A year on, teenage girls are still barred from school and women are required to cover themselves head-to-toe in public, with only the eyes showing.

Some are trying to find ways to keep education from stalling for a generation of young women and underground schools in homes have sprung up.