Kabul [Afghanistan], January 29 (ANI): The US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), John Sopko, said that the Taliban should not have access to the aid and that it should be channelled directly to Afghan people.

During a virtual conference hosted by the Atlantic Council on Thursday, Sopko said that the aid pledged by the international community to the people of Afghanistan will be wasted unless the assistance is delivered directly to the needy people in the country, reported Tolo News.

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"The unvarnished truth is that we can spend all the money in the world into Afghanistan, but it will be a tragedy if that money winds up in the hands of the Taliban or other bad actors, other than the Afghan people who need it the most," said Sopko.

He called on the international community to deliver its assistance to the people of Afghanistan using the lessons learned from the past two decades of US engagement in the country, reported Tolo News.

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"Look for activities that the Afghans can eventually sustain without, or with limited, outside support," he said.

Meanwhile, the Taliban said that the Afghan bank assets should be freed to address the economic challenges, reported Tolo News.

"Considering the situation that we have today, it is required that our money should be released, and we should be supported in the development sphere also," Islamic Emirate deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi said.

Afghanistan is contending with drought, a pandemic, an economic collapse and the effects of years of conflict. Some 24 million people are experiencing acute food insecurity.

According to United Nations estimates, more than half the population will be facing famine this winter and 97 per cent of the population could fall below the poverty line this year. (ANI)

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