KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled Affairs reports that it has identified over 650,000 widows, orphans, and people with disabilities across Afghanistan.
During a press conference in Kabul on Wednesday, August 21, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the deputy minister, said that the figure includes Taliban members who have been disabled, widowed, or orphaned, as well as those of former government officials and civilians.
According to the Taliban authority, the figure includes 167,654 orphans, widows, and disabled individuals from the Taliban, 363,321 from among civilians, and 122,299 from former government soldiers and employees.
“So far, over 650,000 disabled individuals, widows, and orphans have been registered, including 369,533 orphans, 189,635 disabled individuals, and 94,097 widows,” he said.
According to the statistics provided by the Taliban authority, among the orphans, 163,479 are girls and 162,195 are boys.
Haqqani further said that the ministry has provided over AFN 15.4 billion ($217 million) in monthly assistance to more than 612,000 widows, orphans, and people with disabilities over the past year.
Decades of conflict, including the past two decades of Taliban insurgency against the Western-backed government in Afghanistan, have resulted in thousands of disabled individuals, widows, and orphans across the country.
Furthermore, natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and landslides have exacerbated the situation, with hundreds killed and thousands injured in recent years due to these incidents.
On the other hand, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has worsened the humanitarian situation, making the country one of the world’s most critical crises.
According to the UN, nearly 24 million people, mostly women and children, require assistance this year. This comes at a time when humanitarian agencies are struggling with a significant funding shortfall. Of the $3.06 billion appeal for this year, only 25% has been funded so far.