Afghanistan has plunged deeper into a humanitarian crisis following sharp cuts to U.S. aid, with child hunger at its worst level in 25 years and nearly 450 health centers forced to close, the New York Times reported.

According to the report, U.S. funding — which averaged nearly $1 billion a year after the Islamic Emirate takeover in 2021 — has largely evaporated following the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under President Donald Trump.

The World Food Program (WFP) estimates that four million Afghan children are now at risk of dying from malnutrition.

The aid cuts have hit rural areas particularly hard, leaving families without access to basic health care. In Daikundi province, the closure of local clinics has been linked to preventable deaths during childbirth and rising child mortality.

Nationwide, more than 17 million Afghans — about 40 percent of the population — face acute food insecurity, with seven provinces nearing famine conditions, the report said.

The crisis has been compounded by mass deportations of Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan, deadly earthquakes, and ongoing drought. While other donors and Afghan authorities have tried to fill the gap, their efforts fall far short of previous U.S. assistance, the NYT reported.

Humanitarian groups warn the impact will be long-lasting. Researchers cited by the New York Times say sustained malnutrition could damage an entire generation, with consequences that cannot be reversed even if aid resumes in the future.

عصمت‌الله ایرگاشف، نماینده ویژه رئیس جمهور ازبیکستان در امور افغانستان، روز سه‌شنبه با بیبوت آتامکولوف، سفیر قزاقستان در ازبیکستان، دیدار کرد تا درباره همکاری‌های دوجانبه پیرامون افغانستان گفتگو کنند.

طبق بیانیه‌ای که توسط وزارت امور خارجه ازبیکستان منتشر شد، دو طرف بر تعهد خود برای حفظ گفتگوهای منظم با هدف رسیدگی به مسئله افغانستان تأکید کردند.

آتامکولوف از تلاش‌های ازبیکستان برای کمک به شکل‌دهی به یک موضع منطقه‌ای واحد در مورد افغانستان قدردانی کرد.

این دیدار همچنین شامل گفتگو در مورد مشارکت افغانستان در ابتکارات اتصال منطقه‌ای، به ویژه اجرای پروژه خط آهن افغان ترانس بود.