LEVERAGE:

Experts say the Afghan economy could collapse, a grim scenario that could spur widespread hunger and worsen an already devastating humanitarian crisis.

More than 550,000 Afghans have been internally displaced since January 2021, bringing the total number of displaced Afghans to almost 4 million, according to the UN. It says nearly half of Afghanistan's 38 million people need humanitarian assistance to survive.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on September 1 of a looming "humanitarian catastrophe" in Afghanistan as he urged countries to provide emergency funding following the final departure of foreign troops on August 31.

He said basic services threatened to collapse "completely" amid the "deepening humanitarian and economic crisis" in Afghanistan.

With the economy on the brink of collapse, Afghanistan is facing a mass exodus of people.

Tens of thousands of Afghans at risk of Taliban reprisals fled Kabul, the scene of deadly and chaotic evacuation efforts led by the United States and other NATO countries that ended on August 30.

Tens of thousands of other Afghans who worked with foreign forces were left behind. They, along with others facing economic hardship and the prospect of life under hard-line Taliban rule, are pouring into neighboring Pakistan and Iran, from where some will pay smugglers to take them as far as Turkey and Western Europe.

Tweet   @brothersjudd