At least one person was killed and four others were injured after overnight flash floods and storms hit parts of western Afghanistan’s Farah province, local officials said on Tuesday.

The floods affected several districts, including Gulistan, Farahrod, Bala Buluk, Khaksafid, and Bakwa, according to Mohammad Israel Sayar, head of the provincial department for combating natural disasters. He said four small vehicles were destroyed in the flooding, while rescue operations are continuing to reach stranded residents.

Sayar added that emergency supplies, including food, tents, and blankets, have been prepared for up to 1,500 affected families.

Farah Governor Mohammad Hafiz Mujahid addressed an emergency meeting of provincial officials, stressing that protecting the lives of citizens is a shared responsibility. He urged authorities to collect accurate data and carry out comprehensive assessments to ensure an effective emergency response.

Officials said damage assessments are ongoing as rescue teams continue operations in affected areas.

Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, said on Tuesday that the implementation of large-scale development projects will significantly transform Kabul’s urban landscape.

Hanafi made the remarks while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of a new vehicle flyover being constructed in front of the Kabul provincial governor’s office. He said Kabul Municipality is currently implementing 258 development projects across different parts of the capital.

According to Hanafi, approximately 8.113 billion AFN have been allocated as the development budget for the solar year 1404. He said effective use of the funds would bring visible and lasting changes to the city. He added that over the past four years, Kabul Municipality has constructed and opened to traffic around 350 kilometers of roads.

Looking ahead, Hanafi said plans are underway to introduce metro and tram systems, establish a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network on major roads, and develop large public parks to turn Kabul into a modern and environmentally friendly city built to international standards.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar stressed the need for Kabul’s development to follow a modern and well-organized urban master plan. He praised the efforts of Kabul Municipality and called on residents to help maintain cleanliness and urban order.

Baradar said previous administrations failed to adopt effective and strategic urban planning measures, leaving Kabul largely unplanned. He also urged engineers involved in the flyover project to ensure construction complies with technical and engineering standards.

The flyover project officially began on Tuesday in the presence of senior Islamic Emirate officials. The structure will measure approximately 283 meters in length and 18 meters in width, extending from the Kabul Provincial Governor’s Office to Joi-e-Shir Road. Officials say the project aims to ease traffic congestion and improve urban mobility in the capital.

The United States announced a $2 billion pledge for United Nations humanitarian programs on Tuesday, warning that the organization must reform its operations or risk losing future support.

The announcement was made in Geneva by Jeremy Lewin, U.S. under secretary for foreign assistance under President Donald Trump, alongside UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher. The funding comes as Washington scales back overall humanitarian spending, with additional cuts expected from other major donors, including the United Kingdom and Germany.

Fletcher said the funds would help save “millions of lives,” but the pledge marks a sharp decline from previous U.S. contributions. In 2022, the United States provided an estimated $17 billion to UN humanitarian operations.

U.S. officials said the new funding will be conditional and limited to 17 countries, including Haiti, Syria and Sudan. Afghanistan and Yemen are excluded. Lewin said Washington has evidence that UN funds in Afghanistan were diverted to the Islamic Emirate, adding that the administration would not allow U.S. taxpayer money to reach terrorist groups.

Aid organizations warned the restrictions could worsen an already severe global humanitarian funding crisis. Shortfalls have led to the closure of maternal and child health clinics in Afghanistan and cuts to food assistance for displaced people in Sudan. The UN has warned that global child mortality rates are expected to rise after years of decline.

The U.S. conditions also bar spending on climate change-related projects, which Lewin said are not life-saving and do not align with U.S. priorities.

Lewin said the UN must “adapt or die,” arguing that U.S. funding will no longer support inefficient or outdated systems. While UN officials say they support greater efficiency and accountability, they caution that the new conditions could undermine the neutrality of humanitarian aid by excluding entire crises.

Despite the concerns, UN officials said the $2 billion pledge offers limited relief as the organization faces a deepening global funding shortfall.