On Tuesday, the National Security Council announced that the US is providing $308 million in humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan. The announcement comes as the country faces difficulties in the Covid-19 pandemic and severe economic pressure. The US will also provide additional Covid-19 vaccine doses. The humanitarian assistance comes months after the US fully withdrew its military forces from the country. Since then, several countries have been pressuring the US and its allies to take action against a dire humanitarian crisis in the country. The US has provided $782 million in humanitarian assistance to the country, including the new aid, since October 2021.
Earlier this year, lawmakers from the House of Representatives wrote the Secretary of State and Treasury Secretary, urging the administration to release frozen Afghan funds to a United Nations agency in order to pay teacher salaries and provide meals to children in schools on the condition that girls can continue to attend. In addition, the lawmakers advised officials to clarify sanctions exemptions to humanitarian aid to allow financial institutions to inject capital into the Afghan economy. In December, the Biden administration announced that it was lifting certain restrictions on the types of aid that humanitarian organizations can provide to Afghanistan.
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