Afghanistan facing 1990s-style crisis after aid suspension, International Agency says

KABUL: The International Refugee Agency has warned that following the cutoff of humanitarian aid and the suspension of U.S. support programs, Afghanistan is heading back to the conditions that prevailed before 2001 during the first rule of the Taliban. In a recent report, the agency stated that the decrease in foreign aid and the reduction of support programs have led to the collapse of essential services, particularly for women and girls. The report notes that the closure of shelters, the cessation of mobile clinics, and the discontinuation of psychological and social services have placed the lives of millions of Afghan citizens at serious risk. It further indicated that the Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls, alongside the withdrawal of international support, have recreated a situation reminiscent of the 1990s, systematically limiting women’s access to education, employment, and public life.