Food in Afghanistan could run out this month, UN official says

Driving the news: Approximately one-third of the country faces "emergency" or "crisis" levels of food insecurity, according to Ramiz Alakbarov, the local UN humanitarian coordinator, per AP.

• "The lean winter season is fast approaching, and without additional funding, food stocks will run out at the end of September," Alakbarov said.
• The United Nations' World Food Program has donated food to thousands of people, but of the $1.3 billion needed for aid efforts, only 39% has been received, UN officials said per AP.

The big picture: Following the Taliban's swift takeover of Afghanistan amid the withdrawal of U.S. troops, the group now controls a country that relies on international aid and faces a worsening economic crisis, per AP.

• "The challenges the Taliban face in reviving the economy could give Western nations leverage as they push the group to fulfill a pledge to form an inclusive government and guarantee women’s rights," AP writes.
• 14 million people are identified as food insecure in Afghanistan, including 550,000 who have been displaced by conflict this year, per the UN World Food Program.

Go deeper: U.S. financial institutions caught in crosshairs of Afghanistan's economic crisis