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.

However, the spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, Zabihullah Mujahid, considers the findings of this report to be inaccurate and said that the situation in Afghanistan is not as dire as it is portrayed, and that the country’s situation is moving toward improvement.

“In our view, this report is not correct. We have gone through difficult times and experienced problems such as a humanitarian crisis. At one point, we suffered very heavy casualties and our people faced many difficulties, but now the situation of most people is improving. The country’s economy is moving in a positive direction, to some extent job opportunities have been created for unemployed people, efforts are still ongoing, and Afghanistan’s economic resources have been revived,” said Mujahid.

Ismatulla Irgashev, Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan, met on Tuesday with Beibut Atamkulov, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Uzbekistan, to discuss bilateral cooperation on Afghanistan.

The two sides highlighted their commitment to maintaining regular dialogue aimed at addressing the Afghan issue, according to a statement issued by Uzbekistan foreign ministry.

Atamkulov praised Uzbekistan’s efforts to help shape a unified regional position on Afghanistan.

The meeting also included discussions on involving Afghanistan in regional connectivity initiatives, particularly the implementation of the Trans-Afghan railway project.

Officials described the meeting as constructive and reaffirmed mutual interest in further developing practical cooperation between Tashkent and Astana.

Pakistan and Kazakhstan have highlighted the importance of peace and stability in Afghanistan, calling it a key requirement for advancing regional cooperation. The remarks came in a joint statement issued after Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit to Islamabad.

The two leaders stressed that Afghan territory must not be used for activities that threaten the security of other countries. They also agreed that integrating Afghanistan into regional economic and connectivity initiatives would benefit both the Afghan people and the wider region.

Islamabad and Astana reaffirmed their commitment to expanding international multimodal transport corridors linking the two countries, including the Kazakhstan–Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan, Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan, and Kazakhstan–Kyrgyzstan–China–Pakistan routes.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed President Tokayev’s proposal to link Central and South Asia through the Trans-Afghan railway corridor. Both sides instructed their relevant authorities to study the development of the Kazakhstan–Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan railway line.