23 million people are at risk of starvation. Afghans facing 'hell on earth' as winter looms.

[Celerity]

This is a country that is starting to feel the very real fear of hunger.



https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-59202880

The weather is turning from early autumn warmth to a sharp chill. Several areas are reporting drought, which adds to the sense of growing catastrophe.

At Maidan Wardak, 50 miles west of Kabul, a crowd of several hundred men had gathered in the hope of getting flour from an official distribution point. The flour was provided by the World Food Programme.

Taliban soldiers kept the crowd reasonably quiet, but people who were told they weren't eligible for a hand-out were angry and frightened. "The winter is nearly here," said one old man. "I don't know how I'll get through it if I can't make bread."

The WFP is faced with having to raise its supplies to Afghanistan to help more than 22 million people. If the weather is as bad as experts are predicting this winter, the expectation is that large numbers will be threatened with acute hunger and widespread famine.

snip

[maxsolomon]

1. Pakistan should take immediate action

to address this crisis.

[harumph]

2. Yeah.., that's the ticket.

[JI7]

12. Pakistan itself is facing hunger problems and is heavily in debt

Imran Khan may be forced out.

Meanwhile they are having huge protests to kick out the French ambassador because of some cartoons.

[maxsolomon]

16. I was being insensitive and ironic.

There's only 1 solution to this, and it's only partial: the West needs to send massive amounts of food aid, ASAP.

People will still die of starvation, because the Taliban are not a competent government who can distribute that amount of aid quickly and fairly. They existed to this point to disrupt government.

[JI7]

17. I know . I was actually adding on to your comment

since I assume your comment had to do with Pakistan's role in all of this and their support for what happened .

The problem with the WEst providing aid is it will put whoever goes in at risk. I assume it will require some soldiers . Will the Taliban let in women that work for the aid organizations ?

As I said below, the blame for all of this is Islamic Fascism .

The Taliban banned women from working . So if they can't work they have to beg ? Just shows how it is all so fucked up .

[Hugh_Lebowski]

3. I suppose this never happened in the past 20 years? Honest question ... (nt)

[Celerity]

4. Before the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August, there was confidence that the government of

President Ashraf Ghani would be able to cope with the threat of a bad winter, given the help of the international community. That help evaporated when Mr Ghani's government collapsed.

Western countries have cut off their aid to the country, since they don't want to be seen to help a regime which bars girls from education and is in favour of reintroducing the full range of sharia punishments.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

5. Huh. Well, not to be cold-hearted, but widespread hunger often has a way of making people rise up

against their oppressors, so maybe SOMEthing good will come from this apparently untenable situation.

Or maybe non-Western countries will ride to the rescue. Seems like a good PR opportunity for Pakistan or Iran

[brooklynite]

6. "widespread hunger often has a way of making people rise up against their oppressors"

...and military-grade weapons make them stop.

[Igel]

7. But hey, they're *American*

military-grade weapons.

Maybe Saudiyya or Iran can help out if Pakistan can't, even given their local cease fire with Taliban-like militants.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

8. maybe they should have thought about using what we gave them, back in May, instead of

you know ... not?

[Kaleva]

10. Millions of people died of starvation under Stalin and Mao

No uprising. About a million, out of a population of 8-9 million, also died during the 10 year long Irish Potato Famine but the Irish did not rise up against the Brits.

[MerryBlooms]

18. I think you hit just the right amount of

Cold-hearted-selfish-wealthy-western-widespread, stereotype. Nicely done.

Since we ripped the bootstraps off this country and others in the region, let them figure out how to make new bootstraps, without leather.

YippeeKiay!

[JI7]

13. Will they show foreign aid workers into the country ? Including the women

that work for these orgs ?

[Sgent]

19. Listening to the BBC

yesterday and the reporter on the ground seemed to indicate the Taliban would work with whoever provided aid, but they wouldn't loosen their human rights issues because 1) they don't want to, and 2) a large percentage of them would split off and join the Islamic State in Afghanistan which is already causing havoc.

[Delphinus]

9. I just saw that on the BBC America program

I worry so much for these people - the women especially. The widow interviewed was asked if she would sell her daughter into marriage and she said yes, if it would keep them from starving. And the man from a worldwide agency trying to help them was pretty truthful when he said no one should die of starvation when we have trillions of wealth on this planet. (paraphrasing all)

[Takket]

11. you can bet the Taliban won't have any trouble gorging themselves this winter.

[JI7]

14. Islamic Fascism is to Blame for this

[Amishman]

15. inshallah....

(harsh, but that is the answer to tough questions all too often over there. It is a ready excuse for not preparing, being safe, or planning ahead)

[Klaralven]

20. Lesson: when nation building, don't build a nation that depends on foreign aid for 40% of GDP