World News | UN Envoy Says Afghan Economic Crisis Looms

United Nations, Sep 10 (AP) The UN special envoy for Afghanistan is urging the world to unite to prevent the economic collapse of the country, to address fears the Taliban's Islamic state may spread to its neighbours and to fight terrorism.

Deborah Lyons warns that the Taliban have “visibly welcomed and sheltered” al-Qaida members and that Islamic State extremists remain active “and could gain strength.”

Also Read | Mystery Radio Signals Coming From Depths of Milky Way Galaxy Detected By Astronomers; Source Located Near Galactic Centre.

She told the UN Security Council on Thursday that it will have to decide what steps to take regarding many of the 33 members of the Taliban government who are on the UN sanctions blacklist, including the prime minister, the two deputy prime ministers and foreign minister.

Also Read | COVID-19 Surge in US: The Summer of Hope Ends in Gloom Due to Delta Variant of Coronavirus.

Lyons says the humanitarian crisis is worsening and there is “a looming crisis” caused by donors freezing billions of dollars in Afghan assets. She says the fund freezes can cause “a severe economic downturn that could throw many more millions into poverty and hunger” and may spark a refugee exodus and set the country back for generations.

She says ways must be found to provide humanitarian relief “on a huge scale” and quickly allow money to flow to Afghanistan to “prevent a total breakdown of the economy and social order” while creating safeguards to ensure the money is not misused by the Taliban authorities.

In Lyons words, “The economy must be allowed to breathe for a few more months, giving the Taliban a chance to demonstrate flexibility and a genuine will to do things differently this time, notably from a human rights, gender and counterterrorism perspective.”

Lyons says that despite the Taliban's statements of a general amnesty, the UN has received “credible allegations of reprisal killings,” the detention of officials who worked for previous administrations, house-to-house searches by Taliban who have seized property particularly in Kabul, and restrictions on women working and limitations to girls' education in some regions.

Lyons says UN premises for the most part have been respected but its national staff has faced increasing harassment and intimidation. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)