The Red Cross called on the international community to work with the Taliban

The Red Cross has called on the international community to work with the Taliban to help the Afghan people, and said aid groups alone could not prevent the Afghan crisis.

In an interview with Reuters, Robert Mardini, director general of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said that the support of the international community, which has so far taken a cautious approach to dealing with the Taliban, is crucial to providing basic services.

Mardini said that 30 percent of Afghanistan’s 39 million people are severely malnourished and that 18 million people in the country are in need of humanitarian assistance or support.

“No humanitarian organization can compensate or replace a country’s economy,” he said, stressing that the current government in Afghanistan must work to improve the situation.

After the collapse of the Western-backed government and the return of the Taliban to power in August, Afghanistan plunged into a crisis with the abrupt end of billions of dollars in foreign aid.

However, Taliban officials, who have been accused of failing to protect rights, including access to education for girls, have said aids should not be conditional.