Afghanistan aid pledges could fall far short of target, officials fear

Taliban's increasingly repressive rule could lead to donor backlash at UN pledging conference on Thursday

Western officials fear a UN pledging conference this Thursday aimed at raising more than $4.4bn (3.34bn) aid for Afghanistan is likely to fall well short of its target. One UN official admitted he feared the Taliban's increasingly repressive rule would lead to a donor backlash.

The new UN appeal, on top of the flash appeal for $600m in the immediate wake of the Taliban takeover in August, is hoping to raise the single biggest sum ever for a single country at a pledging conference.