A month after the fall of Kabul, the economic crisis is chasing the "Taliban"

Afghan women wait in front of a bank to withdraw their money.

AFP

A month after the fall of Kabul, the Taliban movement is facing strenuous problems in its efforts to transform the lightning military victory it achieved into a permanent and peaceful rule. Although hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent on development over the last twenty years.

Drought and famine are driving thousands of people from the countryside to the cities, and the World Food Program fears food supplies will run out by the end of the month, putting up to 14 million people on the brink of starvation. Although much attention in the West has focused on whether the new Taliban government will deliver on its promises to protect women's rights or provide sanctuary for terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda, for many Afghans the top priority is simply survival. "All Afghans, even children, are hungry. They don't have a single sack of flour or cooking oil," said Abdullah, a resident of Kabul. Long queues still form outside banks that limit weekly withdrawals from accounts to $200 or 20,000 Afghanis to protect the country's dwindling reserves. Across Kabul, random markets have sprung up, where people sell their mobiles for money, even though the buyers are short of cash.Even with billions of dollars in foreign aid, the Afghan economy was struggling, and growth was not keeping pace with the steady increase in population. Jobs have become scarce and a large number of government employees have not received their salaries since at least last July.

Although most people seem to welcome the end of the fighting, the stalling of the economy has limited almost any sense of relief.

“Security is excellent at the moment, but we are not getting any money,” said Qassab from Bibi Mahru village near Kabul, who declined to be named.

Every day things get worse and more bitter.

The situation is really bad.”

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