Afghans are facing a food crisis, which adds to the Taliban’s difficulties.

Kabul: A senior United Nations official warned Wednesday that food in Afghanistan could run out this month, threatening to add a hunger crisis to the challenges facing the country’s new Taliban rulers as they work to restore stability after decades of war.

According to Ramiz Alakbarov, the local U.N. humanitarian coordinator, about one-third of the country’s 38 million people are facing “emergency” or “crisis” levels of food insecurity. With winter approaching and a severe drought still in effect, he believes that more funds are required to feed the population.

In recent weeks, the United Nations World Food Program has brought in food and distributed it to tens of thousands of people. However, only 39% of the $1.3 billion needed for aid efforts has been received, he claims.

“The lean winter season is quickly approaching, and without additional funding, food stocks will run out at the end of September,” Alakbarov predicted.

The Taliban, who took control of the country ahead of the withdrawal of American forces this week, must now govern a country that is heavily reliant on international aid and is experiencing a worsening economic crisis. In addition to food shortages, civil servants have not been paid in months, and the local currency is losing value. The majority of Afghanistan’s foreign reserves are held in foreign countries and are currently frozen.

Following the withdrawal of the United States, many Afghans are watching with bated breath to see how the Taliban will rule. They imposed draconian restrictions when they were in power before being driven out by the US-led invasion in 2001, refusing to allow girls to attend school, confining women to their homes, and outlawing television, music, and even photography.

However, in recent years, their leaders have attempted to project a more moderate image. Schools for both boys and girls have reopened, though Taliban officials have stated that they will study separately. Women are out on the streets wearing Islamic headscarves, as they have always done, rather than the all-encompassing burqa required by the Taliban in the past.

While many Afghans fear a return to the Taliban’s brutal rule, they are also concerned about the country’s economic situation, which offers few opportunities — and tens of thousands have attempted to flee the country in a perilous airlift.

Thousands of people who had worked with the US and its allies, as well as up to 200 Americans, remained in the country after the efforts ended, with the last US troops departing Kabul International Airport shortly before midnight Monday. A day later, President Joe Biden defended his handling of the withdrawal.

The difficulties the Taliban faces in reviving the economy may provide Western nations with leverage as they press the group to fulfil a pledge to allow free travel, form an inclusive government, and protect women’s rights. According to the Taliban, they want good relations with other countries, including the United States.

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