Asia | The next crisis

Afghanistan’s economy is collapsing

More than half its people may go hungry this winter

|ISLAMABAD

FIRST THE children lost their bedridden father. Then they lost their grief-stricken mother. Then they were left to fend for themselves in west Kabul. In normal times their plight would have been tragic. In today’s Afghanistan, where more than half the population is running short of food, it was deadly. Neighbours said they helped out with bread and water where they could, but it was not enough. Earlier this month the eight children starved to death. The youngest was less than two years old.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “The next crisis”

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