GENEVA, Feb 4, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A key UN health agency warned Tuesday that Washington's aid cut could see 1,200 more women die from pregnancy and birth-linked causes in Afghanistan through 2028.

"Obviously we're pretty concerned about that substantial loss in funding," Pio Smith, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) regional director for Asia and the Pacific, told reporters, pointing to Afghanistan where "between 2025 and 2028 we estimate that the absence of US support will result in 1,200 additional maternal deaths and 109,000 additional unintended pregnancies."