KABUL, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations World Food Programme has issued an urgent warning about a deepening hunger crisis in Afghanistan, saying that limited resources have left only one in four children suffering from severe malnutrition able to receive assistance, local media TOLO news reported on Friday.

According to the report, nearly two-thirds of Afghanistan's population is now experiencing severe food insecurity. Millions of children are at risk of life-threatening malnutrition as the crisis continues to worsen.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has launched its 2026 humanitarian response plan for Afghanistan, which aims to deliver critical support to millions of people in dire need of food, healthcare, shelter and other basic services, the report added.

A combination of prolonged drought, ongoing economic instability and the return of large numbers of refugees has intensified food shortages across the country, according to the report. ■