Taliban Or God To Blame For Growing Afghan Starvation?

A crystal ball was not needed to predict the WSJ headline: “As Hunger Spreads in Afghanistan, Hospitals Fill With Premature, Dying Babies.” Needless to say, “subjected to US sanctions after the Taliban took over, the country faces a humanitarian disaster.”

Indeed, the UN says “half the population faces acute hunger … with one million children in danger of dying from malnutrition.” The Taliban economy, if you can call it that, “is set to contract by another 20% this year, following last year’s [post-takeover] plunge.” Food prices have soared so that the cost of flour is now 53% higher, cooking oil is up 39% and sugar 36% in just a few short months. Jobs pay half of what they used to, that is, if they still exist. US & Euro sanctions surely are a contributing factor, while international humanitarian aid is only now beginning to seriously ramp up.

The ignorance in all this can be astounding. Taliban insists the UN is exaggerating the crisis & notes the nation was impoverished because of 40 years of war; yet, it is still doing more to feed its soldiers than the starving population they cower into submission. Meanwhile, both sides argue over whose side God is on and exactly who he’s punishing, presumably before deciding who to rescue.

Davd Soul