![]() The charities spread anti-Western propaganda and are seen to be tied to Tehran's long-standing effort to export the Islamic Revolution. Why It's Important: Iran has been suspected of using the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee and other state-backed charities to promote its conservative brand of Shi’a Islam around the world. The charity, whose head is chosen by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has a long history of operations in Afghanistan and was registered with the Taliban’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. Both the charity and the Taliban have yet to comment on the reported shutdowns. Only the charity’s office in the Afghan city of Zaranj, near the Iranian border, is still believed to be operating. The website - which is close to the family of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic republic - added that the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee was not given prior notice or offered any reasons for the closures. ![]() Iran’s Jamaran news website said the charity’s offices in the cities of Kabul, Herat, and Mazar-e Sharif have been shut down and sealed by Taliban fighters in recent weeks. The Taliban has closed many of the Afghan offices of the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee, a prominent charity linked closely with the Iranian government, according to Iranian media reports. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead. I'm Frud Bezhan, regional desk editor for Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. “Without this commitment, millions will continue to face hunger and an uncertain future,” Aissa said. IRC called on donors to “commit to supporting the humanitarian response in a long-term and flexible manner” to ensure that the most vulnerable Afghans can receive aid. In comparison, 40 percent of the previous plan was funded by the same time last year. The organization says that only 23 percent of this year’s $4.6 billion proposed funding has been covered. “The IRC is growing deeply fearful for the future of the humanitarian response in Afghanistan in the face of continued funding shortfalls,” Aissa said. ![]() The IRC said that humanitarian operations averted famines during the past two winters while increased aid reduced the number of Afghans threatened by famine from 6 million to 3 million. The fledgling Afghan economy rapidly collapsed, which prompted previously self-sufficient Afghans to rely on humanitarian aid. The Taliban’s unrecognized government was slapped with sanctions as it faced international isolation because of its extensive human rights abuses. and NATO forces at the end of August 2021. “Nearly the entire population lives in poverty,” said Salma Ben Aissa, IRC Afghanistan director, adding that two years after the Taliban seized power on August 15, 2021, “the Afghan economy remains cut off from international systems and 28.8 million people require humanitarian assistance.”Īissa said that almost 80 percent of those in need are women and girls who have been deprived of education and work by the Taliban’s hard-line Islamist government.Īfghanistan, one of the most aid-dependent countries in the world, lost development assistance and financial support from Western donors after the Taliban seized power in the wake of the final withdrawal of U.S. nongovernmental organization, said in a statement on August 7 that almost 30 million Afghans “remain in dire need of assistance” as funding shortfalls jeopardize the humanitarian response in the country of more than 40 million. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), a U.S. A leading international humanitarian organization has expressed concern over decreasing funding for humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, where almost three-quarters of the country's population is in need of assistance.
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