MORE Afghans will be struggling for survival as living conditions deteriorate in the year ahead, a top official of the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Sunday.

The troubled country is bracing for its second winter under strict Taliban rule.

The religious group’s seizure of power in August 2021 sent the economy into a tailspin, driving millions deeper into poverty and hunger in an already war-ravaged country as foreign aid stopped almost overnight.

Red Cross director of operations Martin Schuepp said: “The economic hardship is there. It’s very serious and people will struggle for their lives.”

Sanctions on Taliban rulers, a halt on bank transfers and frozen billions in Afghanistan’s currency reserves have already restricted access to global institutions and the outside money that supported the country’s aid-dependent economy before the withdrawal of US and Nato forces.

The onset of winter will worsen the acute humanitarian needs in the country, Mr Schuepp said.

“We see more and more Afghans who are having to sell their belongings to make ends meet, where they have to buy materials for heating while at the same time have to face increasing costs for food and other essential items.”

The Red Cross is already paying the salaries of 10,500 medical staff every month to ensure basic healthcare services stay afloat, he added.

“We are very conscious that it’s not our primary role to pay for salaries of medical staff. As a humanitarian organisation, we are not best placed to do that.

“We have done so exceptionally to ensure that services continue to be provided.”

No country in the world has recognised the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, as the Taliban call their administration, leaving them internationally isolated.

The Islamist fundamentalist group previously ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s and was overthrown by a US invasion in 2001.