With the needs of Afghan children greater than ever before, the world "cannot abandon them now", a senior official with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) appealed on Sunday after concluding a visit to the country.
George Laryea-Adjei, Regional Director for UNICEF South Asia, said children have paid the heaviest price in recent weeks of increased conflict and insecurity.
Not only have some been forced from their homes, and cut off from their schools and friends, they have also been deprived of basic healthcare that can protect them against polio, tetanus and other diseases.
"Now, with a security crisis, skyrocketing food prices, a severe drought, the spread of COVID-19, and another harsh winter just around the corner, children are at greater risk than ever," he warned.
Laryea-Adjei said more than four million children, including 2.2 million girls, are out of school.
Around 300,000 youngsters have been forced to flee their homes, some of whom were in bed sleeping, "and too many of them have witnessed scenes that no child should ever see," he said.
"Children and adolescents are struggling with anxieties and fears, in desperate need of mental health support," he added.
