EU Delivers 270 Tons of Nutritional Aid for Malnourished Children in Afghanistan

The European Union delegation in Afghanistan announced on Tuesday that three shipments carrying 270 tons of nutritional materials have arrived in the country. The aid consists of 20,000 boxes of ready-to-use therapeutic food intended for treating Afghan children suffering from malnutrition.

The World Food Programme has warned that reduced foreign aid and escalating tensions at the Pakistan border could lead to an additional 200,000 children facing acute malnutrition this year. The organization stated that 3.7 million Afghan children will require treatment for malnutrition in 2025.

In a separate development, Qahar Balkhi, spokesman for the Taliban Foreign Ministry, posted a statement on X indicating that citizens imprisoned on charges would be released after completing legal processes in the usual manner. The statement noted that talks between the Taliban government and the United States, facilitated by Qatar, have included promises of "positive actions" from both sides. The Taliban expressed a desire to resolve the issue through ongoing constructive dialogue.

The United States on Monday designated the Taliban administration as a "country supporting unlawful detention," the second after the Islamic Republic of Iran. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the Taliban uses terrorist tactics to gain political leverage, which will not succeed against the US. Washington reported that at least three US citizens are currently held in Taliban prisons.

A spokesman for the Taliban governor in Balkh reposted Rubio's message on X, warning: "You brought us to our knees once; if you want to do it again, we are ready and will give you a crushing response. Do not forget that we will kill you with your own weapons, the ones we captured."

Previous discussions involved US Special Envoy for Hostages Adam Boler and former Afghanistan envoy Zalmay Khalilzad meeting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul in late 2025. At a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, Waltz urged careful evaluation of international aid and interactions' effectiveness amid Taliban restrictions preventing female mission staff from going to offices.

Afghanistan under Taliban rule faces one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, with the World Food Programme reporting over 17 million Afghans facing acute food insecurity, including 4.7 million in emergency hunger levels. The US State Department emphasized that the Taliban must end hostage diplomacy or face consequences, while the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostages warned foreign actors against unlawfully detaining US citizens.