The United Nations, meanwhile, hosted a donors conference to drum up emergency funds for beleaguered Afghans who could soon face widespread hunger after decades of conflict. There are concerns that instability and upended humanitarian efforts, compounded by an ongoing drought, could further endanger lives and plunge Afghanistan toward famine. The Taliban seized power on Aug. 15, the day they overran Kabul after capturing outlying provinces in the blitz campaign. Bachelet cited “multiple” allegations of Taliban forces conducting house-to-house searches looking for specific officials in the previous government and people who cooperated with U.S. forces and companies. Many thousands of Afghans remain desperate to get out, too, afraid of what Taliban rule might hold.
