U.S. Humanitarian Aid To Afghans Reaches $100 Million
ISLAMABAD (AFP) - The United States has extended humanitarian assistance worth more than $100 million to Afghanistan this year, according to a U.S. Embassy statement issued on Tuesday.
Washington, which provided $70 million last year, is the "largest single donor" of assistance to the people in the war-ravaged country, the statement said.
"This year, U.S. assistance has been substantially increased in response to growing humanitarian needs in the face of a severe drought."
The U.N. in November last year imposed sanctions on the ruling Taliban militia over its refusal to hand over Osama bin Laden to a location outside Afghanistan for trial.
The sanctions are "carefully targeted to avoid exacerbating the hardships already facing the Afghan people," the embassy said.
The sanctions have affected aircraft, bank accounts and financial assets of the Taliban, but have not impeded the flow of humanitarian aid, including food and medicine. Nor has private sector trade and commerce been affected.
Washington has teamed up with Moscow to push for further U.N. sanctions against the Taliban, including a possible arms or oil embargo.
