The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has announced that reductions in US aid have deprived at least 300,000 Afghan children of access to education.

The aid cuts have also halted access for 700,000 Afghans to healthcare, vaccinations, malnutrition treatment, clean water, and protection services.

In a report published on Saturday, the IRC stated that the decrease in US assistance has severely impacted the organisation’s critical programmes for Afghan citizens. Among the disruptions, the treatment of 15,000 children suffering from malnutrition has been interrupted.

Thousands of vulnerable Afghans have been cut off from essential services following the suspension of IRC programmes due to funding reductions.

The decline in US aid has led to the shutdown of numerous humanitarian initiatives across Afghanistan, significantly worsening the country’s humanitarian crisis.

The IRC emphasised that Afghanistan is facing a severe humanitarian emergency, with more than 22.9 million people urgently needing assistance. It warned that the prolonged economic collapse and ongoing environmental challenges have plunged millions into poverty and hardship.

The aid agency further warned that US funding cuts have had devastating effects on vulnerable groups, particularly the three million children and 1.2 million pregnant or breastfeeding women suffering from acute malnutrition.

The Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls have eliminated the income of many female-headed households, greatly increasing the risk of hunger and malnutrition.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), nearly 23 million Afghans are currently in need of humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) reports that around 15 million Afghans are unsure where their next meal will come from.