A hunger crisis in Afghanistan is forcing Western countries to grapple with how to save lives without benefiting the Taliban.

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After Taliban forces took Kabul in August, foreign aid into Afghanistan dried up. The international community worried that aid money would be misused by Taliban officials, so that money stopped coming. Banks ceased normal operations. Billions of dollars in Afghan assets were frozen.

This economic freeze – in combination with the freezing temperatures Afghans have faced this winter – has become a “lethal combination for the people of Afghanistan,” according to United Nations Secretary General António Guterres. 

But after several months of negotiations, the floodgates of foreign relief aid are reopening. This month, the U.N.announced an appeal for more than $5 billion in emergency aid for Afghanistan. The Biden administration has committed $300 million. 

And while these numbers look like they could be life-changing, foreign correspondent Pamela Constable says, “it’s still tiny compared to the need.”