As U.S. troops leave Afghanistan, a ‘far greater’ humanitarian crisis is just starting, UN warns

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan will not end as evacuation flights wind down, the United Nations warned as the U.S. completed its withdrawal from the country. Afghanistan’s tragedy will be less visible once the airlifts end, but the crisis “will still be a daily reality for millions of Afghans,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a statement.

“We must not turn away. A far greater humanitarian crisis is just beginning,” he said. The Pentagon on Monday said the U.S. finished its withdrawal efforts from the Kabul airport, ending America’s longest war. President Joe Biden said more than 120,000 people, including U.S. citizens and Afghan allies, were evacuated over 17 days.

Kabul fell to the Taliban in mid-August as the U.S. prepared to withdraw its military presence from the country after 20 years. Since then, there have been reports of violence by the Islamist militant group including a suicide bombing attack that killed more than 180 people, and U.S. drone strikes against ISIS-K targets.

As U.S. troops leave Afghanistan, a ‘far greater’ humanitarian crisis is just starting, UN warns, CNBC, Sep 1