A new chapter filled with uncertainty opens for Afghanistan as the number of international troops dwindles down to a few thousands, raising fears over the state of security in the country.
In the last few months leading to the scheduled complete drawdown of U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan, security in places such as Kabul worsened. But what concerns aid groups more than security, however, is the issue of foreign aid.
While a number of Afghan’s big donors have pledged to maintain support at almost current levels — the U.K. Department for International Development, for instance, has committed to maintain spending levels at 178 million pounds ($272.8 million) “at least until 2017” — a number of critical programs have ended and are entering their last phase his year. It’s unclear whether similar initiatives will be launched soon thereafter.