NEW YORK - The situation of children in Afghanistan is alarming, according to a recent report by the United Nations Children’s Fund.

UNICEF says it has recently screened over a million children under five years of age for acute malnutrition. The UN body notes that nearly 900,000 children are suffering from severe malnourishment, a life-threatening condition that requires immediate treatment. Experts say the ongoing food insecurity and poverty, among other factors, are pushing Afghan children and women into malnutrition and starvation. UNICEF also says that more than 15 million children in Afghanistan are in need of humanitarian assistance.