Dozens of needy families in Kabul’s fifth district have received essential winter assistance from the Bayat Foundation, as part of ongoing efforts to ease hardship during the cold season and worsening economic conditions.

According to foundation officials, the aid package includes staple food items such as flour, rice, and cooking oil, along with warm blankets to help families cope with freezing temperatures. Haji Mohammad Ismail, Deputy Head of Bayat Foundation, said the distribution began in Kabul and will soon be expanded to other provinces.

“Our assistance includes flour, rice, cooking oil, and blankets,” Ismail said. “Today, we started distributing these items in Kabul’s fifth district, and God willing, the aid will reach other provinces in the near future.”

Afghanistan continues to face widespread poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity, with many families struggling to meet basic needs, particularly during winter when access to work and heating becomes more difficult.Humanitarian organizations and charitable foundations have stepped up relief efforts to support those most affected.

Beneficiaries welcomed the assistance, describing it as a lifeline. “May God bless you for helping the poor. We had nothing and no work,” said one recipient. Another added, “Thank you for your help. Our flour was almost finished.”

Bayat Foundation officials stressed that winter aid distributions will continue in Kabul and other provinces in the coming days, as part of their broader commitment to supporting needy families across the country.

Since the Islamic Emirate came to power, approximately 6.8 million Afghans have returned home, either voluntarily or forcibly, from neighboring countries and other nations, according to the Minister of Refugees and Repatriation.

Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, speaking at a meeting on finalizing a draft plan for a permanent migration solution in Afghanistan, added that 1.3 million Afghans have been internally displaced due to natural disasters during the same period.

With winter approaching, widespread poverty and severe cold are threatening thousands of lives. Meanwhile, the forced expulsion of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries, particularly Iran and Pakistan, continues.

The Islamic Emirate has repeatedly urged neighboring states to allow migrants to return voluntarily. According to UNHCR, over two million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan since the start of 2025.

U.S. authorities are reviewing a classified terror watch list of about 18,000 people after it emerged that only one of three Afghan nationals arrested in recent high-profile cases was on the list, the New York Post reported, citing an intelligence source.

According to the NY Post, the revelation has raised concerns that some suspects may have been radicalized after arriving in the United States. The issue gained renewed attention following last month’s shooting of National Guard members in Washington, DC.

National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent told lawmakers at a December 11 hearing that around 18,000 known or suspected terrorists entered the U.S. over a four-year period under the previous administration. Since then, officials have been combing through the database to assess potential threats and examine how certain individuals were admitted into the country.

Jaan Shah Safi was the only one of three recently arrested Afghan nationals listed in the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE), the U.S. government’s central terror database. Safi, who arrived in the U.S. in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, is accused of providing weapons and other support to ISIS-K. U.S. officials say he remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

The other two suspects — Rahmanullah Lakanwal, charged with killing a National Guard member in Washington, and Mohammad Dawood Alokozay of Texas, accused of threatening a suicide attack — were not on the watch list, according to the Post. Intelligence officials cited in the report said this suggests they may have been radicalized after entering the United States.

The Post said the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has identified nearly 2,000 Afghans with suspected terror ties and continues to share intelligence with law enforcement agencies.

The issue has reignited debate over the vetting process used during the rapid evacuation of Afghans in 2021, when more than 100,000 people were brought to the United States.

Lawmakers and officials quoted by the New York Post called for closer scrutiny of those admitted during that period, amid growing political and public concern over national security and immigration policy.