The United Nations says Afghanistan continues to face the consequences of more than four decades of conflict, political instability and natural disasters, leaving millions of people dependent on humanitarian assistance.

In a statement on Tuesday, September 8, the UN said Afghans continue to face widespread humanitarian needs following years of war, displacement and repeated natural disasters.

The organisation said Afghanistan remains one of the world’s most challenging humanitarian environments, with millions of people struggling to meet their basic needs.

Nearly 23 million Afghans are facing acute food insecurity, according to the UN, highlighting the scale of the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Afghanistan is also home to one of the world’s largest refugee populations, while the return of millions of Afghans from neighbouring countries has placed additional pressure on communities and limited resources.

The country remains highly vulnerable to earthquakes, floods, droughts and other climate-related disasters, which frequently destroy homes, infrastructure and livelihoods and deepen existing humanitarian needs.

The UN said it remains committed to supporting the Afghan people through humanitarian assistance and essential services, despite growing challenges facing aid operations.

It called on the international community to maintain support for Afghanistan and provide the resources needed to address urgent humanitarian needs and help vulnerable communities withstand future crises.

The UN stressed that sustained international assistance remains critical as Afghanistan seeks to recover from decades of conflict and build greater resilience to economic and natural shocks.

The Islamic Emirate’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi says military equipment left behind in Afghanistan after the US withdrawal in 2021 now belongs to the Afghan government.

Speaking to CBS News, Balkhi said the Islamic Emirate was not seeking to negotiate or trade over the equipment, which it considers government assets.

“This equipment now belongs to the Afghan government, and we are not seeking to make deals or trade over the assets of the Afghan government,” he said.

Asked about the equipment being purchased with US taxpayers’ money, Balkhi said the United States had carried out extensive military operations in Afghanistan, resulting in deaths and widespread destruction.

“Shouldn’t the Americans first pay the cost for these actions?” he asked.

Much of the equipment in question was not directly operated by US forces. It was provided by the United States to the former Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) over nearly two decades as part of efforts to build Afghanistan’s military and security capabilities.

The US Department of Defense reported that about $18.6 billion worth of equipment had been transferred to the ANDSF between 2005 and August 2021. Of that, approximately $7.1 billion in defence equipment remained in Afghanistan when the former Afghan government collapsed and the Islamic Emirate took control in August 2021.

The equipment included tens of thousands of vehicles, hundreds of thousands of weapons, night-vision devices, communications equipment and aircraft. US authorities also disabled or destroyed some equipment during the final withdrawal from Kabul.

US officials have previously argued that the equipment was intended for the former Afghan security forces and was not meant to be transferred to the Islamic Emirate. The collapse of those forces, however, left much of the equipment under the control of the new authorities.

US watchdogs have also noted longstanding difficulties in accurately tracking equipment supplied to the Afghan security forces, making it difficult to establish exactly what remained operational or in the country when the former government fell.

Qatar has reaffirmed its commitment to playing an active international role on Afghanistan through mediation, dialogue and efforts to build greater international consensus.

Speaking during an interactive dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan at the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Abdullah bin Ali Bahzad, Second Secretary at Qatar’s Permanent Mission to the UN Office in Geneva, said Doha would continue hosting dialogues and meetings on Afghanistan.

He stressed the need for a comprehensive approach that combines humanitarian assistance with responsible political engagement to support the Afghan people’s aspirations for security, stability and development.

Bahzad said Afghanistan remains one of the world’s largest and most complex humanitarian crises, with nearly 22 million people, or about 45% of the population, requiring humanitarian assistance.

He said the situation has been worsened by insecurity, economic fragility, climate shocks, displacement, reduced aid, the return of millions of refugees, sanctions and frozen state assets. More than 4.7 million people, including 3.7 million children, are also at risk of acute food insecurity, he said.

Bahzad said education, particularly for children and girls, remains a priority for Qatar. He noted that Qatar had helped evacuate hundreds of Afghan children and provided them with shelter, care, psychological support, food and education.

The Qatar Fund for Development and Education Above All Foundation have supported 30,000 out-of-school students since 2023, he said.

He added that the Qatar Red Crescent Society has supported education projects in remote areas since 2016, while Qatar Charity is implementing a QFFD-funded project to build and equip a specialised hospital for women, children and internal medicine.