Children work to survive as hunger grips Afghanistan

Children in Afghanistan, a country grappling with post-war reconstruction, are caught in a severe hunger crisis, forcing many to start working at an early age to support their families.

Ibrahim Mohammadi, an eleven-year old boy in Kabul, has had to learn blacksmith skills while still in school to supplement his family's diminishing income.

"It's been one year since I've been working here in the forge. I'm a school student, in grade five, and I'm the second-best student in my class. I work here to support my family. My father is working with a handcart, and it saddens me. So, I want to help him. The iron inspires me when I look at it. When the iron is hit by the hammer, it becomes stronger. I think human beings are also like iron. The more pressure someone endures, the stronger he becomes," said Ibrahim Mohamadi.

Mohamadi is learning these techniques at a local forge with blacksmith Mohamad Fahim, who says the young boy still has a long way to go.

"By the grace of god, he has learned a little bit. To become a blacksmith, he needs more time. Yes, he needs time," said blacksmith Mohamad Fahim.

"I wake up early in the morning at 05:30. I wash my hands and face, and I arrive at my workplace in one and a half hours. When I work here and break the coal, my hands and feet sometimes ache. Then I have to rest for a day. When I see children at my age who don't have to work like me, I wish I also didn't have to work, but I have to," said Mohamadi.

Afghanistan remains in the grip of a very serious hunger crisis, as nearly 80 percent of Afghans, some 30 million people, cannot afford a nutritious diet, according to John Aylieff, World Food Programme (WFP) Representative and Country Director for Afghanistan.

"I have five other members in my family, including my father, mother, a sister, and two brothers. I work here with the blacksmith. One of my brothers is at school, and the other one is working in Tamor Shahi Market," said Mohamadi.

Afghanistan is also seeing the sharpest rise in malnutrition ever recorded, with 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding mothers suffering from malnutrition and 3.5 million young children forecast to be malnourished as of this year, according to WFP.

Children work to survive as hunger grips Afghanistan

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned on Sunday that Tehran would view the United States and Israel's military bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" should Washington take military action against Iran.

At a parliamentary session convened to review an emergency proposal on assembly regulations, Qalibaf emphasized that, at this highly sensitive juncture, Iran must accurately and thoroughly identify the schemes of its adversaries.

Qalibaf said that Iran is currently confronting Israel and the United States simultaneously on four fronts: economic, cognitive, military, and counterterrorism. Of them, the economic warfare and the cognitive and psychological warfare began many years ago and have persisted to this day, growing increasingly complex and intense in recent years.

The remarks came as U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran, taking advantage of its nationwide unrest.

Protests have erupted in several Iranian cities since late December over the sharp fall of the rial and long-standing economic hardship. Iranian authorities have acknowledged the demonstrations and voiced willingness to address economic grievances, while warning against violence and vandalism.

Amid the ongoing protests, deadly clashes have been reported lately between police and what the government described as "rioters." However, no official death toll has been released.

Also on Sunday, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will address the country's economic situation and political environment in a televised interview later that day.

Iran swears to counterattack if attacked