After the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, many investors fled the country, fearing retaliation from the group. Small investors and the urban middle class, who had previously created job opportunities, also left, resulting in widespread unemployment. International organizations have declared that Afghanistan is facing a severe humanitarian and economic crisis.
In response, the United States has sent substantial financial aid, with the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) recently reporting that the U.S. has provided $21 billion in aid over the past three years.
Meanwhile, last week, the Taliban’s Minister of Economy accused the world of waging an “economic war” against the group during an event in Kandahar. Afghan citizens claim that many Taliban officials have married multiple times and acquired luxury residences over the past three years. They argue that the group is attempting to mask its management failures by creating external enemies.
Economic experts also assert that global economic sanctions are minimal and that Afghanistan’s economic issues are largely due to the Taliban’s misguided policies. Din Mohammad Hanif, the acting Minister of Economy for the Taliban, stated at the reopening ceremony of the Kandahar textile factory that the world has initiated an “economic war against Afghanistan.” He claimed that the international community, by imposing restrictions on Afghanistan’s economic sector, is attempting to weaken the country’s economy.
This Taliban official further claimed: “The enemy is not at rest and is engaged in a soft and economic war against us. They want to create a situation in Afghanistan where no domestic or foreign company can invest.” According to him, despite the economic restrictions, the Taliban have completed 86 development projects and are progressing with 141 others.
Meanwhile, Mir Shakib Mir, former head of financial services development at Afghanistan’s Central Bank, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily: “Afghanistan’s economy under the Taliban is more affected by their misguided economic policies than by the limited economic sanctions imposed by the international community, such as frozen foreign reserves and restrictions on international banking transactions.” Mr. Mir added: “The lack of strategies and economic policies that could revive Afghanistan’s economy and boost economic growth, along with the imposition of educational and work restrictions on girls, have had detrimental effects on the country’s economic situation.
” He noted that the Taliban’s claims of economic improvement would only hold if the public witnessed a decrease in unemployment and poverty rates in the country. On the other hand, the majority of Afghan citizens say that poverty and unemployment have unprecedentedly increased under the Taliban’s rule. According to them, many people lack food and shelter.
Afghan citizens accuse the Taliban of lacking an understanding of economic management and insist that the group shifts the blame for their failures and mismanagement onto others. They argue that the Taliban fabricate enemies to divert public anger and frustration, pretending that they are making efforts while the world obstructs them. A resident of Herat, who wished to remain anonymous, commented on the economic situation in the province: “People are running after bread; there is no work, no livelihood, the situation is very dire.
” Baz Mohammad Naderi, a resident of Ghor, accused the Taliban of embezzling millions of dollars in international aid. He said: “When the Taliban talk about enemies, it makes you laugh because, thanks to global aid, each of them has acquired luxury residences, companies, lands, and businesses in the past three years, and they have married their third and fourth wives.” Mr.
Naderi added that during this time, the Taliban were preoccupied with “marrying more women,” “securing projects,” and amassing wealth, while the people became poorer and hungrier. He emphasized that the vast majority of people in Ghor province live below the poverty line and that this year’s floods have swept away everything they owned. Residents of many areas across the country express concern over the increasing poverty and unemployment.
They report that there are no job opportunities in Afghanistan and that climate change has destroyed their agricultural yields, leaving them to endure difficult conditions. According to these residents, people wander day and night in search of a piece of dry bread, and many young people have been forced to leave their homes. Baryalai, a resident of Burka district in Baghlan province, said: “This year, the flood took away everything, including my family members.
Nothing is left; we have been displaced, and we lost everything we had. The floods caused immense destruction in our province; everyone here lost their crops and is unemployed, wandering for a piece of dry bread.” Additionally, some traders and investors who left the country after the Taliban’s rise accuse the group of extortion and coercion against merchants.
They claim that many of their properties and assets have been seized by the Taliban, and they cannot publicize these issues due to the risks to their investments. The Taliban have seized the vehicles and properties of many major investors who have left Afghanistan, turning them into military posts. The group also extorts money from these investors, forcing them to pay to protect their facilities.
Previously, the World Food Programme (WFP) reported that Afghanistan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has declined. According to the WFP, Afghanistan’s GDP was 20.7% in 2022, but this figure dropped to 6.
2% in 2023. The WFP report stated: “Afghanistan’s economy has experienced significant contraction since the political changes in August 2021. However, the decline in real GDP has slowed.
The decrease from 20.7% in 2022 to 6.2% in 2023 reflects this.
” On the other hand, while the Taliban speak of the world’s “economic war” against the group, SIGAR recently reported that the U.S. has provided approximately $21 billion in aid to Afghanistan from 2021 until last month.
According to SIGAR’s report, this aid has been allocated to four areas: humanitarian assistance ($2.029 billion), development and infrastructure ($458 million), operational support ($316 million), and security ($100 million). However, it is unclear what types of collaborations the U.
S. has funded in Afghanistan under “operational support” and “security,” while the Taliban themselves claim to provide security and fund their security forces in the country. At the same time, most countries are hesitant to provide aid and engage in economic interactions with the Taliban due to the group’s harboring of terrorist organizations.
SIGAR’s recent report also emphasized that terrorist activities in Afghanistan continue. In the Doha Agreement, the Taliban pledged to the U.S.
and its allies to sever ties with terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda. However, not only have they not cut ties with Al-Qaeda, but these relations have also strengthened. The killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the former leader of Al-Qaeda, in the heart of Kabul, the presence of members of this group in the Taliban’s cabinet and various decision-making levels of government institutions, and their involvement in the extraction and smuggling of mines and weapons, are among the issues that have been continuously reported by the media.
Hasht-e Subh Daily recently published an investigative report revealing that the Taliban have built four townships in the province of Ghazni for Al-Qaeda and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which was also mentioned in the SIGAR’s report. According to SIGAR, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s Interior Minister, has provided residential and educational facilities for Al-Qaeda and TTP members in Ghazni province. You can read the Persian version of this daily report here: ناکامی در مدیریت و دشمنتراشی در سیاست؛ طالبان از کدام «جنگ اقتصادی» سخن میگویند؟ | روزنامه ۸صبح.
