Sept 4, 2021: The US Congress is expected to fund UN’s humanitarian work in Afghanistan, but US officials say it is unlikely to provide direct funding to the new Taliban-led government, as the UN prepares to discuss aid efforts for the war torn country.

UN chief Antonio Guterres is visiting Geneva September 13 to convene a high-level conference on aid to Afghanistan.

“The conference will advocate for a swift scale-up in funding so the lifesaving humanitarian operation can continue; and appeal for full and unimpeded humanitarian access to make sure Afghans continue to get the essential services they need,” spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the United States has allocated an estimated $130 billion for security, governance, and development and humanitarian needs in Afghanistan.

According to Reuters, US congressional aides say that that lawmakers were almost certain to provide humanitarian assistance to internally displaced Afghans and refugees, but at least not to the government itself. Even before the Taliban’s victory, Afghanistan was heavily dependent on aid about 40% of the country’s GDP was derived from foreign funding.

The United Nations has warned that 18 million Afghans are facing a humanitarian catastrophe, and another 18 million could soon join them. More than 500,000 people are reported to be fleeing the country for fear of the Taliban.

The Taliban were expected to announce the new government yesterday but have delayed for now, but there are reports that an announcement is imminent.

Meanwhile, fighting continues between the Taliban and resistance fighters in the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul, which is expected to displace more civilians.

US-made Afghan military equipment, including armored vehicles that entered Iranian territory during the Taliban’s advance, has been returned to the country’s new rulers.

Amaj Media, which covers Middle East news, quoted an Iranian source as saying that former Afghan soldiers who fled to Iran after the withdrawal of US troops had handed over “almost everything” to the Taliban. Pictures posted on social media in recent weeks show US-made vehicles owned by the Afghan army crossing the border into Iran.

On the diplomacy front, a Taliban delegation in Qatar led by Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai met Pakistani Ambassador Syed Ahsan Raza Shah, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on Friday.

“Both sides discussed the current Afghan situation, humanitarian assistance, bilateral relations based on mutual interest and respect, reconstruction of Afghanistan and issues related to facilitating people’s movement at Torkhan and Spinboldak,” Shaheen wrote on Twitter, referring to border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s embassy in Doha confirmed the meeting.

According to Al Jazeera Arabic, the third Qatari plane arrived in Kabul with technical staff and equipment to assist in the operation of the country’s premier airport. Qatar’s special envoy for conflict resolution, Mutlaq al-Qahtani, was also on board. According to the report, Kabul Airport is being prepared for the resumption of regular flights in the coming days.

According to Reuters reports, Google has temporarily locked down an unspecified number of Afghan government email accounts to protect the former government officials.

Meanwhile, a nine-month-old Afghan girl allegedly died Friday night after an evacuation flight to the US city of Philadelphia, according to US television channel ABC.

The child allegedly became irresponsible during the mid-flight and was taken to the emergency room upon arrival. She died Wednesday night, ABC News reported. The girl arrived in the US with her family from Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where she landed after leaving Kabul.

On the other hand, the US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said his department is looking to improve the conditions of Afghan refugees awaiting resettlement.

“I have met with more than 40 community-based organisations, including Afghan-American organisations to learn of their ideas and recommendations,” Mayorkas said on Friday. “I have heard, and we will operationalise more robustly their recommendations including cultural competency, access to counsel, trauma counseling and pastoral care.”

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