Author: Elian Peltier, Yaqoob Akbary, Safiullah Padshah and Tomás Munita
Published on: 04/02/2026 | 00:00:00

AI Summary:
Since the Trump administration slashed foreign aid to Afghanistan a year ago, child malnutrition has risen to levels not seen in 25 years. Two recent deadly earthquakes have killed thousands. Some 2.8 million Afghan refugees have been forced to return from neighboring countries. The economy has taken a severe blow, with all those shocks hitting Afghanistan at once. Nearly 450 health centers closed because of the cuts. Malika Ghullami gave birth to two children in past years and was pregnant again with twins last year. Other mothers in Nalej’s area recounted losing children after struggling to reach distant clinics. The Trump administration has resumed sending aid to some crisis-hit countries, but not Afghanistan. A bill currently in the Senate would bar the State Department and U.S.-backed international organizations from funding humanitarian programs. The clinic in Nalej, surrounded by parched fields of almond and mulberry trees, was a lifeline for 850 families. Food insecurity has skyrocketed since last year’s cuts. More than 17 million Afghans — 40 percent of the population — now face acute levels of hunger. Seven provinces face critical food insecurity, the final stage before famine. Malnutrition is also hitting cities, affecting the most vulnerable. International Rescue Committee team visited Badgor, an isolated village hit by the quake. It was the last mobile team that the organization has kept operating since the cuts, which forced it to disband 33 others. The Taliban have barred Afghan women from working in U.N. Offices while diverting the remaining aid to supportive communities. Elian Peltier is an international correspondent for The Times covering Afghanistan and Pakistan. Xi Jinping has cleaned out the Chinese military elite, bringing high-level dismissals and disappearances to nearly every arm of the military. A Slice of Caracas in an Unlikely Spot: Generations of migrants from a village on the coast of southern Italy found a better life in Venezuela.

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