The United Nations Children's Fund says it aims to treat about 1.3 million Afghan children suffering from acute malnutrition this year, warning the condition continues to put young lives at risk.
UNICEF said in a post on X on Monday that it plans to reach around 1.3 million children with severe acute malnutrition during the current year.
The agency added that in 2025 it treated more than 610,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition with the support of its partners.
Earlier, the World Food Programme warned that cuts in foreign aid and rising tensions along the Pakistan border could leave about 200,000 more children in Afghanistan facing acute malnutrition this year.
The organisation said about 3.7 million Afghan children will require treatment for malnutrition in 2026.
Ahmad Massoud, leader of Afghanistan’s National Resistance Front, says the current crisis in the country is a direct result of Taliban policies, accusing the group of sheltering the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and more than 20 other militant organisations.
Ahmad Massoud said the Taliban had previously triggered foreign intervention by sheltering Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaida and were now responsible for renewed attacks by hosting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other militant groups.
However, he said opposition to the Taliban should not translate into support for bombing or foreign aggression.
Massoud made the remarks on Sunday, March 8, during an online event held to mark International Women’s Day.
He said the Taliban had turned Afghanistan into what he described as a place of suffering for its people and a haven for militant groups.
Massoud said Pakistan’s recent attacks had produced two types of reactions among Afghans. According to him, some people supported the strikes due to their resentment toward Taliban rule, while others opposed any foreign intervention in Afghanistan.
He said he supported a middle position between the two views and rejected foreign military attacks, arguing they would not bring meaningful results.
Massoud also said that no invasion anywhere in the world leads to freedom or dignity.
He added that while he opposed foreign military attacks on Afghanistan, he also rejected political engagement with the Taliban and said the solution for the region and the world was to listen to the Afghan people.
Fighting between Taliban forces and Pakistan has continued for more than 10 days.
The clashes began after the Taliban’s retaliatory attacks on Pakistani border posts.
Before those strikes, Pakistan carried out air attacks on targets in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Paktika and Nangarhar.
The Taliban called the strikes a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and claimed civilians were targeted.
Both sides say they have inflicted hundreds of casualties on each other, while international organisations have confirmed the deaths of dozens of Afghan civilians in the fighting.
Taliban officials in Herat say trade transit between Afghanistan and Iran continues despite the war in Iran, with up to 1,300 cargo trucks crossing the Islam Qala border each day.
Iran earlier suspended exports of food and agricultural products until further notice.
Hazrat Zaeem Agha, the Taliban commissioner at the Islam Qala crossing, told the Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency that about 600 cargo trucks currently enter Iran through the crossing each day.
He said roughly 700 cargo trucks arrive daily from Iran, adding that commercial goods continue to move without disruption.
Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi, spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Herat, warned that traders who raise prices under the pretext of road closures in Iran would face legal action.
However, several Herat residents told Afghanistan International that the ongoing conflict between the Taliban and Pakistan, along with the war involving Iran, Israel and the United States, has led to rising food prices in the city.
Officials at the Herat Chamber of Commerce and Investment said that if the war in Iran continues, they will seek to expand Afghanistan’s trade relations with other countries to prevent possible food shortages.
Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said Pakistan’s recent strikes were an unjust violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty during a meeting with foreign diplomats in Kabul.
Muttaqi said the Taliban administration was facing what he described as an imposed war and had acted cautiously in defensive operations.
Zia Ahmad Takal, head of public relations at the Taliban foreign ministry, posted a video on X on Monday showing Muttaqi attending a joint iftar with ambassadors and foreign diplomats based in Kabul, along with representatives of the United Nations, the European Union and several international organisations.
Muttaqi said the Taliban administration remained committed to resolving issues through understanding, dialogue and mutual respect but considered defending Afghan territory against any aggression a legitimate right.
He said Pakistan had carried out bombardments in areas including the provinces of Nangarhar, Paktia, Paktika, Kandahar, Khost, Kunar, Laghman, Parwan, Nuristan and Kabul.
Muttaqi said Pakistan had cited Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan to justify the strikes but argued that the group had existed in Pakistan for years and had its own causes and background.
He also said Pakistani generals were choosing confrontation and force rather than seeking solutions through dialogue and warned their actions risked undermining regional security.
Military clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistan entered their 12th day on Monday, March 9, following what the Taliban described as retaliatory cross-border attacks.
Pakistani officials have rejected any negotiations or ceasefire agreement.
The UN Security Council will meet on Afghanistan on Monday, March 9, with a senior UN official set to brief members on the situation in the country.
Georgette Gagnon, deputy special representative of the UN secretary-general in Afghanistan, is expected to present a report on developments in the country.
The meeting is scheduled for 11:30 pm Afghanistan time and 3 pm in New York. The United Nations Security Council last held a session on Afghanistan on Dec. 10.
The discussion comes amid growing international concern over human rights restrictions, humanitarian challenges, terrorism risks and border clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan.
In previous meetings, many council members raised concerns about Taliban policies and the situation of women and human rights in Afghanistan.
The Taliban have dismissed UN meetings held without their representatives as ineffective and have called on countries to engage directly with the group’s administration.
The Taliban have publicly flogged more than 2,000 people, including 291 women, on various charges since 2024, according to findings by Afghanistan International.
The group has not subjected any of its own members to public corporal punishment.
Despite international criticism, the Taliban have continued to carry out public floggings since returning to power. Official figures show 567 people were flogged in 2024, including 78 women; 1,110 in 2025, including 170 women; and 332 in the first two months of 2026 alone, including 34 women. United Nations reports have corroborated the data.
UN experts say the rate of corporal punishment doubled between 2024 and 2025, and early figures for 2026 suggest the trend is likely to continue upward.
The Taliban typically carry out floggings before transferring those convicted to prison. The punishments, usually 39 lashes, are administered publicly by Taliban officials. According to UN experts, most men are punished for theft, drug dealing, drug use and gambling, whilst women, girls and LGBT+ individuals are flogged primarily on charges of extramarital relations and leaving home without permission.
Afghanistan International's investigation found that no Taliban members have been subjected to public punishment, suggesting a system in which the group's own personnel are effectively exempt.
Eyewitnesses say children are regularly present when the floggings are carried out. A resident of Khost province, who witnessed an execution at a local stadium, said: " Many people came. Many were happy that a criminal was being punished. Children were there too." He described it as one of the most distressing experiences of his life, having watched a person killed before his eyes.
Some families have raised alarm over the deliberate inclusion of the public in these events, saying exposure to such scenes causes lasting fear and trauma in children.
Since retaking power, the Taliban have carried out 12 executions.