The United Nations has said that the number of Afghans in poverty nearly doubled to 34 million as the nation was racked by the collapse of the US-backed government and the Taliban takeover.<br />''<br />''The United Nations Development Programme UNDP yesterday released a stark new assessment of 2022 data estimating 34 million Afghans were living below the poverty line.<br />''<br />''It said, vast foreign subsidies were halted and aid programmes dramatically cut back after the US-backed republic fell in 2021 as many countries refused to deal with the Taliban authorities in Kabul. <br />