LONDON: Britain said on Tuesday it would co-host a virtual UN summit aimed at raising billions to avert a “devastating” humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power.

With the fundamentalist regime now denied access to Western funds, the United Nations says more than 24 million Afghans need urgent help to survive, and half the population is facing acute hunger.

The UN said last month that $4.4 billion was needed, as it launched its largest appeal yet for a single country.

Donor countries, UN agencies and Afghan civil society organisations are set to take part in the online event next month, the UK government and UN said in a joint statement, without giving a date.