UN appeals for $405m for Afghanistan aid in 2015

KABUL, Afghanistan - The United Nations has appealed for $405 million to cover the humanitarian needs of the people in Afghanistan in 2015.

UN humanitarian coordinator Mark Bowden launched the appeal on Wednesday.

He says that almost 8,000 civilians have been killed in the war with Taliban-led insurgents this year, and more than 100,000 people have been forced from their homes.

As the conflict expands in the coming year, more help will be needed, he says.

Around 1.2 million children in Afghanistan are acutely malnourished, half a million of them younger than five years old. Half a million children die each year of preventable disease, and already 4,000 families are facing the onset of winter without adequate housing.

Last year, the UN appealed for $406 million in Afghanistan, but received $237 million.