Afghanistan: April 26, 2001

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The worst drought in 30 years is causing a crises, mainly for the Taliban. Donor nations are reluctant to provide all the aid requested, partly because of distaste for the Taliban government and partly because of the ongoing warfare. In the past few months, nearly 200,000 refugees have attempted to flee to Pakistan, but have been denied entry. While the civilian population suffers from want, plenty of weapons are getting into the country for the Taliban and Northern Alliance. While the Taliban has cracked down on drug producing crops, the drought has also had an effect. Another harvest appears likely to fail because of the drought, meaning the problems will get worse.