UN warns millions more suffering hunger in Afghanistan

More than 17 million people in Afghanistan are at risk of "acute food insecurity" this winter - over 3 million more than in the previous year - according to the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) on Tuesday.

"Our teams are seeing families skipping meals for days on end and taking extreme measures to survive. Child deaths are rising, and they risk becoming worse in the months ahead," said John Aylieff, WFP country director in Afghanistan.

"Afghanistan is bracing for a harsh and unforgiving winter as multiple crises converge. Drought has affected half the country and destroyed crops. Job losses and a weakened economy have eroded incomes and livelihoods. Recent earthquakes have left families homeless, pushing humanitarian needs to new extremes."

Aylieff lamented despite all this, aid to Afghanistan was being scaled back.

"We need to bring Afghanistan's crisis back into the headlines to give the most vulnerable Afghans the attention they deserve," Aylieff said. "We must stand with the people of Afghanistan who depend on critical support to survive, and deploy proven solutions towards a recovery with hope, dignity and prosperity."