Afghans face 'their most perilous hour', warns U.N. boss

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrives to attend an aid conference for Afghanistan at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, September 13, 2021. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for donors to pledge hundreds of millions of dollars for Afghanistan, saying that poverty was spiralling and many people could run out of food by the end of the month.

"After decades of war, suffering and insecurity, they face perhaps their most perilous hour," he said in opening remarks at a Geneva conference where $606 million is being sought.