There are fears that much-needed foreign aid to Afghanistanwill decrease once international military forces withdraw from the country.Aid experts say a drop in assistance would worsen Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis.United States and Taliban representativesare attempting to negotiate an agreement to end nearly 18 years of fighting.Such a deal could raise questions about the future of aid from other countries.The biggest victims in Afghanistan are children.The United Nations children's agency UNICEF estimatesthat about 2 million Afghan boys and girls face severe malnutrition.Of those, about 600,000 could die without urgent treatment, UNICEF said.One example of this urgency can be seen in Jebul Siraj,a mountainside community north of the capital, Kabul.On a visit to Jebul Siraj, a reporter from The Associated Presssaw a woman holding a 7-month-old boy.Days before, the boy was receiving emergency medical care.Now, he was drinking a special food mixture suppliedby a UNICEF-supported nutrition program.Nearby other mothers lined up with their children for food.Fariba Hashimi is a health care worker at a hospital in a nearby city.The hospital treats more than 1,000 children a month for malnutrition.She says the problem is getting worse."It's mostly an economic issue, for mothers as well," Hashimi told The AP."They can't breastfeed because they don't have enough income to feed themselves."Health care and other basic services, such as power supplies,are unpredictable across the country.The World Bank has estimated that outside assistance paysfor about 75 percent of total public spending.The bank has warned of the dangers of a quick reduction "in international aid flows."Afghanistan has received more American aid than any other countrysince the U.S.-led invasion to oust the Taliban in 2001.Even after billions of dollars in assistance,more than half of its people still live in poverty.Much of the aid has gone to security efforts.Many Afghans say a lot of the money has also been wastedthrough government corruption and bad management.U.S. government aid to Afghanistan was cut in half in 2014,the year that U.S. and NATO forces officially ended military operations there.About 20,000 forces remain, largely to train and support Afghan forces.Alex Thier once directed assistance for the countrywith the U.S. Agency for International Development.He told The AP that if a U.S.-Taliban agreement brings badly needed peace,Afghanistan could actually see an increase in aid.But if the peace process lasts a long time or fails,it could reduce the "enthusiasm for giving," he said.Political observers say some groups would be slow to donateto a Taliban-influenced government that does not respect the rights of women and others.The Taliban has suggested it wants international aid to continue after an agreement.Alex Thier says it is his understanding that the U.S.-Taliban talkshave included discussions on ways to keep foreign aid flowing.He said that information on the negotiations came from diplomats and people tied to the Taliban.The local U.N. humanitarian representative, Toby Lanzer,says he does not believe foreign aid will decrease.Lanzer told The AP he believes the humanitarian situation is so seriousthat many donors will agree that aid efforts must continue.Lanzer said he had spoken with U.S. officials and other "particularly generous" countriesand they had suggested they are committed to long-term financial support.