US To Provide Additional $144Mln In Humanitarian Aid To Afghanistan - White House

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th October, 2021) The United States has allocated another $144 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, bringing the total of Washington's assistance to the country to $474 million this year, National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said on Thursday.

"The United States is providing nearly $144 million in new humanitarian assistance to the people affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan," Horne said in a statement. "This brings total US humanitarian aid for Afghanistan and for Afghan refugees in the region to nearly $474 million in 2021, the largest amount of assistance from any nation."

The funds will flow through independent humanitarian organizations that provide support directly to Afghans as well as refugees in neighboring countries, she explained.

"Our partners provide lifesaving protection, shelter, livelihoods support, essential health care, winterization assistance, emergency food aid, water, sanitation, and hygiene services in response to the growing humanitarian needs exacerbated by healthcare shortages, drought, malnutrition, and the impending winter," Horne added.

The Taliban (a terrorist group, banned in Russia) took control of Afghanistan in mid-August and set up a new government, led by Mohammad Hasan Akhund, who served as the foreign minister during the previous Taliban rule and has been under UN sanctions since 2001.

In the wake of the militant takeover, many Afghans have sought to leave their homeland. Some have escaped on foreign evacuation flights, while others fled to neighboring countries.