Australia has pledged an additional $50 million in humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan as the country continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and International Development Minister Anne Aly said the funding will focus on addressing urgent needs, particularly among women and girls.

The new allocation brings Australia’s total humanitarian support to Afghanistan since 2021 to $310 million. Nearly 22 million people in the country are in urgent need of aid due to economic collapse, food insecurity and ongoing restrictions.

Wong said Australia’s support aims to save lives and meet basic needs, while Aly noted the assistance will be delivered through trusted international partners.

The funding will be channelled through agencies including the World Food Programme and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Afghanistan remains heavily reliant on international aid as millions continue to face hunger and limited access to healthcare.

Russian media, citing the country’s Ministry of Defense, report that Vasily Osmakov, Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister, held talks on Wednesday in Moscow with Mohammad Farid, the Deputy Defense Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan for Strategy and Policy.

According to the reports, the meeting focused on the current situation and prospects for expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest between the two sides.

Russian sources said that at the conclusion of the talks, both parties agreed to take further joint steps aimed at establishing more regular and systematic cooperation.

So far, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not issued an official statement regarding the meeting or its outcomes.

Local officials in Nangarhar province report that seven members of a single family were killed and one person injured after the roof of their house collapsed in the city of Jalalabad.

Qureshi Badloon, Head of the Information and Culture Department in Nangarhar, stated that the incident occurred Wednesday night, in the Ghowchak area of district 7, Jalalabad.

According to Badloon, the victims included women and children, while the injured individual was transported to a medical facility for treatment.

No further details have yet been released regarding the cause of the roof collapse.