WFP calls for urgent aid as millions of Afghans face starvation

World Food Programme chief says $200m needed to tackle food insecurity in Afghanistan after Taliban takeover.

Qatar, Doha – Millions of Afghans face the risk of starvation and a “catastrophe on top of a catastrophe” the head of the United Nations’ World Food Programme has warned, saying the agency needs $200m by the end of the year to continue its operations in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover. WFP Executive Director David Beasley spoke to Al Jazeera on Tuesday while touring a compound in Doha housing more than 500 refugees who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital Kabul on August 15. Beasley said 14 million people in Afghanistan – one-third of the population – are facing food insecurity. That includes two million children who are already malnourished.