Jeremy Barker, Director of RFI’s Middle East Action Team, was interviewed on CBN News’ Faith Nation about the ongoing humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. troops last August.
Barker described the current situation on the ground for ordinary Afghans:
The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is truly mind boggling. More than half the country is facing humanitarian need. There’s estimates that up to one million Afghan children could die from starvation. And this is compounded by massive security concerns. We have the Taliban trying to figure out how to govern the country with its own competing factions, and then you have terrorist groups like ISIS that view this as an opportunity to gain ground. Those governance and security concerns only magnify the humanitarian needs. And this country is going through its worst drought in nearly 30 years. So the impact for the average Afghan is really massive.
Barker also commented on the dire situation that Afghan Christians, in particular, now face under Taliban rule. According to Barker, many have been forced to flee the country, while others who have gone underground are actively being hunted down and arrested. Despite these appalling conditions, Barker remarks, “there are still Afghan Christians who have a compelling desire to stay there and to love their neighbors even at great risk to themselves.”
Barker urged viewers not to look away from the massive needs of “our brothers and sisters” in Afghanistan, but to pray and to donate to organizations actively working on the ground, such as those vetted by RFI.
Watch the full interview (beginning at the 04:55 mark) on CBN’s Faith Nation.
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