UN seeks $606 million for Afghanistan after Taliban takeover

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press

GENEVA (AP) — The United Nations is hosting a high-level donors conference to drum up emergency funds for Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover of the country.

There are concerns that instability and upended humanitarian efforts, compounded by an ongoing drought, could endanger lives and plunge the country toward famine.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was leading the appeal by the world body on Monday to collect more than $600 million for the rest of this year in a "flash appeal" for Afghans after their country's government was toppled last month.

The Taliban seized power on Aug. 15, the day they overran Kabul after capturing outlying provinces in a rapid military campaign.