I was forced to sell my daughter, 5, to 52-year-old man so my family could survive – I dread the day he’ll take her away

A DESPERATE Afghan father was forced to sell his five-year-old daughter to a 52-year-old man in a bid to feed his starving family. Qadir, 35, an impoverished labourer in the north-west of the war-torn country, has spent the past two years waiting for the paedophile to come and collect his “goods.” Zohra, now aged seven, was sold to a man, 52, for £1,386 The father, who has six other children including a baby daughter, used to earn £2 a day – however since the Taliban took over in August, his earning have diminished even further. He says: “I don’t have money for food. I am scared for my kids because in winter they will die due to cold.” Two years ago, Qadir sold his eldest daughter Zohra, then aged five, for £1,386 to a stranger. He told the Daily Mail: “I had to sell her to keep the others alive. I didn’t have a choice.” Asked how she feels about being sold, the tearful girl, now aged seven, says: “I’m scared.” Her father says: “She cries all the time. She asks her mother why we sold her. Her future is ruined. Most read in News WHERE'S BOBBI? Body found in hunt for missing teen as 2 men, 24 and 26, held for murder DOUBLE MURDER Former soldier, 34, arrested for murdering couple after 'parking row' WAR OF WORDS Moment mum is abused days before she & husband killed in 'parking row' FINAL HOURS Boy, 6, cries 'no one loves me' before dad & stepmum ‘tortured him to death’ 'MAKING LIFE HELL' Locals horrified as travellers set up caravans just outside £700k homes TRAGIC END Couple, 33 & 36, stabbed to death at home after 'row over parking' “I am unsure how the man will live with her, as she is so small. I can’t sleep.” The payment for Zohra had now been spent, mostly on medical bills for the family’s four sons. Even before the hardline Taliban group seized back control of the country, 20 years of war, drought and a pandemic have left millions in Afghanistan starving. Afghanistan’s grim economic state has been made worse by the withdrawal of foreign aid, which accounted for three quarters of public spending. The former government’s cash reserves have also been frozen after the Taliban takeover. At the end of August, the United Nations’ World Food Programme warned that the country would soon run out of food. With 18.5 million Afghanis relying on aid, the WFP said it was struggling to get supplies into the country. AFPTaliban fighters ride in a convoy of US-made humvees[/caption] PAAfghans are facing a grim future under the Taliban[/caption]