U.N. seeks more emergency aid for Afghanistan as poverty grows

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United Nations is seeking $730 million in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan this year, an increase on 2019 as poverty surges in a country worn down by war and drought, the U.N.'s deputy special representative for Afghanistan said on Monday.

Some 9.4 million Afghans are in need of basic food and housing this year, up from 6.5 million in 2019, when the U.N. sought more than $600 million from governments and other donors, as the economy stalls and the Taliban insurgency intensifies.