The Taliban ask the Afghan private sector for help to protect the population from the worst winter in 15 years

MADRID, 28 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Taliban Ministry of Industry and Commerce has requested help from the private sector in Afghanistan to help the population combat the worst winter in the last 15 years in the country, which has already left some 160 dead at the mercy of temperatures as low as -28ºC and amid lengthy power outages following the temporary cessation of supply from Uzbekistan.

In a statement collected by Tolo News, the Taliban asks the private sector in Afghanistan "to help vulnerable and needy people through the special committee of this Ministry in order to avoid more victims from the cold."

The cold has already claimed the lives of at least 157 people and 70,000 head of cattle, according to the spokesman for the Taliban Ministry for Disaster Management, Safiullah Rahimi, on CNN.

To this we must add that a large part of the country has suffered long power cuts in recent days after the power outage from Uzbekistan that began on January 16 and lasted for more than a week.

There are residents in the capital Kabul who have only received one hour of electricity every two days, reports Radio Azadi, the Afghan section of the US international public broadcaster Radio Free Liberty.

Uzbekistan, however, resumed electricity exports to Afghanistan on January 25, and Turkmenistan also recently renewed an annual electricity supply agreement with the Taliban.

All this happens in the midst of a catastrophic humanitarian situation, especially for the child population. The United Nations World Food Program fears that by 2023, 875,000 children will end up suffering from severe acute malnutrition and 2.3 million children will suffer from moderate acute malnutrition.

In addition, according to the WFP spokesman in Afghanistan, if the country enters a third year of drought, the nutritional situation could deteriorate in 20 percent more affected.