UN chief: Notion that world body can fix Afghanistan a ‘fantasy’

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday said in an interview that the idea that the U.N. can “fix the problems of Afghanistan” after money and military forces have been poured into the country for years is a “fantasy.”

“To think — given that they have failed with all these resources to fix the problems of Afghanistan — that we can now, without those forces and money, solve the problems they couldn’t solve for decades is a fantasy,” Guterres told Reuters in an interview.

For the last two decades, the international community, including the United States, has poured resources into the country including money and the deployment of soldiers, the news outlet noted. About $1 trillion has come from the United States alone, according to the news outlet.

Guterres warned against setting high expectations regarding the U.N.’s engagement in the Taliban’s government formation, saying “You cannot expect miracles” and adding that the U.N. should center its attention on supporting civilians in the country, the news outlet reported.

Last week, the U.N. urged $9 billion in frozen assets to be released to the country to avoid an economic collapse. The U.N. chief urged the international community to help Afghanistan avoid becoming economically “strangled.”

“There must be ways to inject some cash in the Afghan economy, for the economy not to collapse and for the people not to be in a dramatic situation, forcing probably millions to flee,” Guterres told Reuters.

The comments come as the international community is wary about how or if to recognize the newly installed Cabinet as the country’s legitimate government. The formation of a Taliban government followed a takeover of the country last month as the landscape of the country changed rapidly after a withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Major cities and regions were captured, culminating in the fall of its capital, Kabul, as the insurgent members took over the presidential palace after former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

Guterres explained it was important to engage, noting that Afghanistan was on “the verge of a dramatic humanitarian disaster,” according to Reuters.