Afghan Economic Meltdown Would Be "Gift For Terrorists": UN Chief

The UN chief's remarks come after his special envoy on Afghanistan warned that the freezing of billions of dollars in international Afghan assets would inevitably spark "a severe economic downturn."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed on Friday for an injection of cash into Afghanistan to avoid an economic meltdown that would spark a "catastrophic" situation for the Afghan people and be a "gift for terrorist groups." His remarks come after his special envoy on Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, warned the Security Council on Thursday that the freezing of billions of dollars in international Afghan assets to keep them out of Taliban hands would inevitably spark "a severe economic downturn." "At the present moment the UN is not even able to pay its salaries to its own workers," Guterres told reporters. "We need to find ways to avoid a situation that would be catastrophic for the people and, in my opinion, a source of instability, and an action, gift for terrorist groups still operating there," he said.