Afghanistan

Afghans who lost family members in a massive earthquake examine the ruins in the Spera district of Khost on June 30, 2022. (Photo: Sardar Shafaq/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images). "We should be doing everything in our power to deliver humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people," said the Minnesota Democrat, "not needlessly limiting the aid we can supply." JAKE JOHNSON Rep. Ilhan Omar warned Wednesday that a provision buried in the sprawling National Defense Authorization Act would bar the Pentagon from distributing aid to the people of Afghanistan even as they're engulfed in a massive humanitarian emergency following two decades of deadly U.S. occupation. "Afghanistan is facing one of the most horrific humanitarian crises on the planet," Omar (D-Minn.), a member of t...

BY: Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! Amassive 5.9-magnitude earthquake that struck southeastern Afghanistan early Wednesday has killed more than 1,000 people, according to local officials, though the death toll is expected to rise. The earthquake comes as the United Nations reports nearly half of Afghanistan’s population already faces acute hunger. Thousands more have been injured and lost their homes along with everything they own. “Many more will be dead, and we are now rushing with aid,” says Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council. He says he agrees with the Taliban government that U.S. sanctions on Afghanistan are making it more difficult for aid organizations like his to supply critical resources to Afghans. TRANSCRIPT This is a rush transcript. Copy ...

BY EVE OTTENBERG Photograph Source: Afghanistan Matters – CC BY 2.0 When the United States stole $7 billion from Afghanistan on February 11, that was no mere crime of robbery. It was a war crime and a crime against humanity that condemns possibly millions of Afghans to starvation. In short, prelude to genocide. Biden prevaricates about his excuse for this outright theft of Afghan funds, namely compensating the 9/11 victims. The Afghan government didn’t kill their loved ones, indeed back in 2001 the Taliban offered to turn the al Qaeda culprits over to Washington. The U.S. refused the offer and invaded instead. Biden’s shocking action makes all Americans complicit in sickening atrocities. According to UNICEF, “more than 23 million Afghans face acute hunger, including 9 mi...

"Frozen assets belonging to the Afghan people should be released and used to restore the country's economy," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal. ANDREA GERMANOS Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal on Wednesday urged President Joe Biden to avert further humanitarian catastrophe by swiftly changing course and releasing the $7 billion seized from the Afghanistan central bank last week "The United States is continuing to contribute to a crumbling economy and devastating impacts on the Afghan people." Jayapal's (D-Wash.) call follows Biden's executive order on Friday that would make $3.5 billion of the stolen Afghan assets available for settlements to pay relatives of 9/11 victims. The other half of the total, according to Biden, would be set aside...

Giving them back half of the money that is rightfully theirs in the form of "aid"—instead of returning it to the banking system—is not only a band-aid that doesn't solve the country's liquidity problem—it's nearly impossible to do anyway, given the sanctions still in place. JULIE HOLLAR by Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) Two months ago (FAIR.org, 12/21/21), I noted the striking contrast between vocal media outrage—ostensibly grounded in concern for Afghan people—over President Joe Biden's withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, and the relative silence over the growing humanitarian crisis in that country, which threatens millions with life-threatening levels of famine. While influenced by drought and Taliban policies, the current crisis is primarily driven...

BY VIJAY PRASHAD Photograph Source: DVIDSHUB – CC BY 2.0 On February 8, 2022, UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) Afghanistan sent out a bleak set of tweets. One of the tweets, which included a photograph of a child lying in a hospital bed with her mother seated beside her, said: “Having recently recovered from acute watery diarrhea, two years old Soria is back in the hospital, this time suffering from edema and wasting. Her mother has been by her bedside for the past two weeks anxiously waiting for Soria to recover.” The series of tweets by UNICEF Afghanistan show that Soria is not alone in her suffering. “One in three adolescent girls suffers from anemia” in Afghanistan, with the country struggling with “one of the world’s highes...